World’s first wooden satellite, LignoSat, launched into space for a sustainability test 

The satellite was developed by Kyoto University in collaboration with Sumitomo Forestry.

This innovative satellite aims to test the viability of timber for potential lunar and Mars missions.

LignoSat will be transported to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX mission, from where it will be released into orbit approximately 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) above Earth.

The satellite, which is palm-sized and named after the Latin word for “wood,” is designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of wood as a sustainable building material for future human habitation in space.

Takao Doi, an astronaut and researcher at Kyoto University, highlighted the significance of this mission, stating, “With timber, a material we can produce by ourselves, we will be able to build houses, live and work in space forever.”  

The concept of using wood in aerospace applications is not entirely new. As Professor Koji Murata, a forest science expert at Kyoto University, noted, “Early 1900s airplanes were made of wood. A wooden satellite should be feasible, too.”  

The launch of LignoSat represents a pioneering step towards sustainable space exploration. By exploring the potential of wood as a building material in space, researchers hope to pave the way for long-term human habitation on other celestial bodies.

This initiative not only addresses the need for sustainable materials in space but also contributes to broader environmental goals on Earth, demonstrating how innovation in materials science can lead to significant advancements in space exploration and sustainability.

Conventional satellites are typically constructed from durable metals such as aluminum and titanium. These materials are chosen for their strength, heat resistance, and resilience in extreme space conditions, such as exposure to radiation and drastic temperature changes.

This process contributes to atmospheric pollution and leaves residue that can harm the environment. Metal satellites also create additional space debris, which poses risks to other spacecraft and can complicate future space missions.