The problem with today’s metal satellites is they all tend to become fireballs at the end of their lives that leave metal particles and emit gasses into the atmosphere, according to Popular Mechanics. Researchers at the University of Kyoto believe that they have found the perfect answer to this problem in a most low-tech material: wood. The team has been working with logging company Sumitomo Forestry for four years designing and building the world’s first wooden satellite.
Dubbed LignoSat, the bird is only a four-inch cube, crafted from magnolia wood that was built using a traditional Japanese woodworking technique to avoid using any screws or glue.
The newly finished wooden satellite will be launched aboard a SpaceX rocket heading to the International Space Station in September. Eventually the wooden satellite will be released from the Japanese ISS experiment module and radio home, reporting on its ability to withstand huge swings in temperature, information on wood expansion and contraction as well as internal temperature readings, geomagnetism, and equipment performance, the publication reported.
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