Japan aims to launch the world’s first wooden satellite

Japanese researchers say they are working to build the world’s first wooden satellite.

The goal is to help combat the problem of space trash. Space junk includes things like dead satellites, lost equipment, and small pieces of paint. These objects can pose threats to spacecraft and satellites operating in space.

The project is a joint effort involving the Sumitomo Forestry Company and the Japanese University of Kyoto. The development team recently announced plans for the satellite in a press release.

Researchers say the wooden satellite, called LignoSat, is one of several projects planned to try to explore how wood could be used in space in the future.

The developers say the wood offers several advantages on other materials commonly used to build satellites, such as aluminum and other metals.

For example, researchers say that wood does not block electromagnetic waves. For this reason, wooden structures could be used to house them antenna equipment and other control devices, the team said in a statement.

The researchers added that wooden structures would also be easier to design and weigh less than current satellite equipment. These satellites would be better for the environment because they would burn when they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. They would not release polluting particles into the air and oceans.

Space junk: a growing problem

Researchers say space junk is a growing problem. Thousands of non-operational satellites currently orbit the Earth and the number of new satellites continues to grow. Last year, European and United Nations agencies announced that they were developing a global action plan to tackle space debris. Agencies said the debris orbiting the Earth would have to be cleaned to make way for new satellites.

One of the project leaders is Japanese astronaut Takao Doi, who is also a professor at Kyoto University. He told BBC News that the engine of the project is the need to limit pollutants released from satellites that remain in the upper atmosphere for many years.

“It will eventually affect the Earth’s environment,” Doi said. He added that after completing the first steps of the research process, the team will begin to “develop the satellite engineering model.” Then a satellite flight model will be manufactured.

The first wooden satellite could be launched in 2023.

The researchers admit that the project presents major technological problems. This includes finding a wood material that can maintain its shape at severe temperatures and survive intense sunlight for a long period of time.

The Japanese project involves researching different protection materials and wood-based materials coatings which can be maintained in extreme conditions of space. The team is studying the construction of wooden structures with cedar and birch wood.

Researchers also plan to study the performance of other wood products in space. They want to find out if trees could help humans in extreme environments like space stations.

The company that supports the project, Sumitomo Forestry, has also developed buildings made primarily of wood. In 2018, the company announced its largest project, a 350-meter wooden skyscraper to be built in Tokyo. He says the goal is to finish the building by 2041.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from AFP, Sumitomo Forestry Company, Kyoto University and BBC News. Mario Ritter, Jr. he was the editor.

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Words in this story

trash – n. material that no longer serves or works

advantage – n. something that is good or desirable

antenna – n. a device used to send or receive communications signals

coating – n. a thin layer of a substance that covers an object for the purpose of protecting it or for some other reason