World's first wooden satellite heads to space in Mars exploration test

5 November 2024, 11:08 | Updated: 5 November 2024, 13:46

The world's first wooden satellite has been launched into space.

The satellite, designed by Japanese researchers, was launched on Tuesday.

Experts hope to test how timber can be used in the exploration of the moon and Mars.

LignoSat will be flown to the International Space Station (ISS) on a SpaceX mission before it's released into Earth's orbit.

Takao Doi, an astronaut who studies human space activities at Kyoto University, said using renewable materials would allow humans to "build houses, live and work in space forever".

Aiming to plant trees and build houses from timber on the moon and Mars in 50 years, Mr Doi's team set about designing the NASA-certified satellite.

Wood is a more durable material in space than it is on Earth as there's no water or oxygen that would rot or inflame it, researchers say.

The environmental impact of the satellite at the end of its life is also minimised, burning up in Earth's atmosphere with less pollution than metal equivalents.

"Metal satellites might be banned in the future," Mr Doi said.

"If we can prove our first wooden satellite works, we want to pitch it to Elon Musk's SpaceX."

LignoSat is made of honoki, a kind of magnolia tree native to Japan, and has been made using a traditional Japanese technique without screws or glue.

The satellite will stay in orbit for six months once it's deployed.

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Kenji Kariya, a manager at the Sumitomo Forestry Tsukuba Research Institute said: "It may seem outdated, but wood is actually cutting-edge technology as civilisation heads to the moon and Mars.

"Expansion to space could invigorate the timber industry."