The world’s first wooden satellite, built in Japan, is being flown to the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission.
LignoSat will be released into orbit about 400km above the Earth, with researchers hoping it will prove wood is a space-grade material.
LignoSat will stay in orbit for six months, with the electronic components onboard measuring how wood endures the extreme environment of space.
Edit: added sunmary
Is that smart?
It’s easier and cheaper to make wood than aluminium or steel. If it holds up, it would be a win.
I imagine there’s all sorts of issues to iron out… The wood would have to be super dry, for example. Freeze thaw cycles in space are constant and extreme.
I don’t think it’s the first time wood has been used in spacecraft- I vaguely remember oak heatshields being a thing.
It’s interesting. I wonder about how it holds up essentially being freeze-dried in space, but things with a short lifetime might be viable. Japan has always done interesting things with woodworking, so it seems a natural step. I used to be friends with a guy who directed funding to various projects and start-ups here in Japan and wish I could pick his brain about this (though I don’t believe he did anything with this).
