Floating around the Earth there are a lot of satellites. Cool for GPS, weather monitoring and internet, not so great for space junk. That’s why Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University team up to create the world’s first wooden satellites in 2023.
You might think that metal satellites burn when you re-enter, but in the end, it’s not that simple. “We are very concerned that all the satellites that re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere burn and create small alumina particles that will float in the upper atmosphere for many years,” he told the astronaut and professor of Kyoto University Takao Doi. BBC when talking about the project. “Eventually, it will affect the Earth’s environment.”
The wood, however, would do burn completely on re-entry without leaving harmful substances in the atmosphere, or perhaps dispersing hazardous waste. Seconds Nikkei Asia, another reason why researchers are experimenting with wood is that it does not block electromagnetic waves or the Earth’s own magnetic field. This means that wooden satellites could have simpler constructions, as components such as antennas could be placed within the same satellite.
As for the type of wood, Sumitomo Forestry keeps the mother. The company only told the BBC it was a “R&D” secret, but that it would be resistant to changes in temperature, sunlight and extreme weather conditions. Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University also said they would also study the feasibility of building wooden structures in space by March 2024.
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For now, Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University aim to create a “proof of concept” and investigate the growth of trees and how wood materials behave in space. According to Doi, the next step is to create an engineering model for the satellite, followed by a flight model. But even if wooden satellites do not become one thing, it is possible that any wood that develops can be used in more extreme environments on Earth.
According to the World Economic Forum, there are approximately 6,000 satellites currently in orbit, of which 60% are actually missing. Meanwhile, it is estimated that 990 satellites will be launched each year over the next decade. The WEF also points out that there are more than half a million space debris larger than a marble currently floating around the Earth and 20,000 pieces of waste which are bigger than a softball. This garbage is not static. They actually move at speeds of up to 17,500 miles per hour, the speed needed to stay in orbit and not fall back to Earth itself. Seconds NASA, more space debris presents a growing danger of collision for all types of spacecraft, including the International Space Station, shuttles and any other type of ship that can carry humans. (In fact, NASA and Russia flight controllers regularly practice avoidance maneuvers to protect the ISS from space debris.) Waste does not even have to be especially large to cause damage, it has even been shown that even paint stains damage the windows of the space shuttle.
The problem of space clutter only gets worse, as both Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Amazon’s Project Kuiper race to launch thousands of satellites in orbit to provide low cost internet. Meanwhile, astronomers have done the same expressed concern that these constellations of satellites could potentially disturb their capacity to observe the cosmos. It’s not clear how many wooden satellites would alleviate the problem, but hey, it must be better than putting more metal trash in it.