{"id":292111,"date":"2026-02-19T18:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T18:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/292111\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T18:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T18:32:10","slug":"a-japanese-team-is-about-to-launch-the-first-wooden-satellite-it-could-save-the-planet-from-space-debris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/292111\/","title":{"rendered":"A Japanese Team is About to Launch the First Wooden Satellite, It Could Save the Planet from Space Debris!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Japan is preparing to launch the world\u2019s first wooden satellite, LignoSat, later this year. Made from magnolia wood, the satellite aims to tackle the growing issue of space pollution, particularly the aluminum particles released when traditional metal satellites burn up during re-entry. <\/p>\n

Developed by researchers from Kyoto University in collaboration with Sumitomo Forestry, the LignoSat project explores the potential of biodegradable materials to replace the metals traditionally used in satellite construction. <\/p>\n

Exploring the Durability of Wood in Space<\/p>\n

Using wood in satellite construction is a revolutionary idea, but it is not as far-fetched as it might seem. According to Koji Murata<\/a>, the head of the project, previous experiments, such as the study published in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences<\/a>, have demonstrated that certain types of wood can endure the harsh conditions of space without significant damage.<\/p>\n

Wood samples tested on the International Space Station (ISS) <\/a>were exposed to space conditions for nearly a year and showed little to no signs of degradation. Murata explained this by the lack of oxygen and living organisms in space, which would normally cause wood to decompose on Earth.<\/p>\n

LignoSat will undergo similar tests once launched, providing further insights into how wood performs under the extreme temperatures, vacuum, and radiation of space. The satellite, as stated by NASA<\/a>, features:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe final design used 10 cm long honoki magnolia wood panels assembled with a Japanese wood-joinery method.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lignosat\u2019sLignoSat\u2019s internal view shows how the wooden panels, aluminum frames, and steel shafts are arranged. Credit: Kyoto University<\/p>\n

Combating the Growing Issue of Space Junk<\/p>\n

The main environmental concern that LignoSat aims to address is the pollution caused by space debris<\/a>, particularly aluminum particles. When satellites re-enter Earth\u2019s atmosphere<\/a>, they burn up and release these particles, which can remain in the upper atmosphere for years. Takao Doi<\/a>, a Japanese astronaut and aerospace engineer, pointed out that:<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the satellites which re-enter the Earth\u2019s atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles, which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years.\u201d He added, \u201ceventually, it will affect the environment of the Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murata stated that one of the missions of the satellite is to measure the deformation of the wooden structure in space. <\/p>\n

\u201cWood is durable and stable in one direction but may be prone to dimensional changes and cracking in the other direction,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

If successful, this project could pave the way for the use of biodegradable materials in satellite construction.<\/p>\n

\"AnAn artist\u2019s impression of LignoSat. Credit: Kyoto University<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Japan is preparing to launch the world\u2019s first wooden satellite, LignoSat, later this year. Made from magnolia wood,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292112,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[111,139,69,147,392],"class_list":["post-292111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}