Japan launches world’s first wooden satellite, pioneering sustainable space exploration

Japanese researchers have achieved a groundbreaking feat with the launch of LignoSat, the world’s first wooden satellite, marking a pivotal step toward sustainable space exploration.

Built by Kyoto University in collaboration with Sumitomo Forestry, LignoSat embarked on its mission aboard a SpaceX launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday, where it will soon be released into orbit about 400 kilometers (250 miles) above Earth.

Named from the Latin word for “wood,” the compact satellite serves as an initial test to demonstrate timber’s potential as a viable material in lunar and Mars habitats.

“With timber, a material we can produce ourselves, we will be able to build houses, live, and work in space indefinitely,” said Takao Doi, a former Space Shuttle astronaut and human space activities researcher at Kyoto University.

Doi’s team envisions a 50-year project involving planting trees and constructing wooden structures on the Moon and Mars, an endeavor made feasible by testing wood as a certified space-grade material.

Historically, wood was used in the early 1900s for aircraft, so developing a wooden satellite seemed achievable, noted Kyoto University’s forest science professor, Koji Murata.

Wood’s resilience in space is noteworthy, Murata explained, as it doesn’t rot or ignite in an environment devoid of water and oxygen.

The environmental benefits of wooden satellites add to their appeal. While conventional metal satellites produce harmful aluminium oxide upon atmospheric re-entry, wood-based satellites would burn up with minimal pollution, potentially transforming the lifecycle of satellite technology and reducing space debris, as highlighted by Doi.