First wooden satellite launches from the ISS

To see how well sustainable, renewable material holds up in the challenging orbital environment, an experimental wood satellite has been launched from the ISS.

The satellite, named LignoSat after the organic compound lignin, which is common in wood cells, was created and constructed by Kyoto University and the Japanese wood processing corporation Sumitomo Forestry.

Before being drawn back into Earth’s atmosphere by drag, the 1U cubesat, which is a cube that is 4 inches (10 cm) on each side, would spend roughly six months in space.

New Features the LignoSat Wooden Satellite is Testing

At a time when the possible environmental effects of satellite reentries are coming under more and more attention, the mission may pave the way for new developments in spacecraft design.

Throughout the mission, scientists will gauge how LignoSat’s magnolia-wood body reacts to the high radiation levels and temperature fluctuations in near-Earth space.

The planet is circled every 90 minutes by a satellite that orbits at the height of the International Space Station, which is roughly 250 miles (450 kilometers).

When facing the sun, it experiences temperatures as high as 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celsius), and when under the shadow of the Earth, it experiences temperatures as low as negative 250 degrees F (minus 157 degrees Celsius).

Additionally, the spacecraft is pelted by solar wind particles that are extremely charged.

Materials that are subjected to such extremes deteriorate rapidly. Because of this, satellite manufacturers have up to now used strong aluminum alloys, but when they burn upon reentry, they leave behind metallic dust that may change the environment.

A new generation of environmentally friendly satellites may be made possible if LignoSat passes its space test.

NASA announced the deployment in a statement on January 7. “Geomagnetic levels will also be monitored to determine whether the geomagnetic field can penetrate the body of the wooden satellite and interfere with its technological capabilities,” the agency stated.

Last November 5, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the first wooden satellite in history, LignoSat, to the International Space Station.

Along with four other experimental mini satellites, it was launched from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Kibo module in December, according to a statement released by NASA on January 7.

Potential Effects LignoSat Might Have on Environment and Satellite Design

To assist LignoSat’s designers in selecting the most durable sort of wood, JAXA previously tested various wood species at the ISS.

Research indicates that the anticipated growth in satellites may result in a hazardous increase in the quantities of potentially climate-changing substances in the otherwise pure layers of the upper atmosphere, posing a problem for the space industry.

The primary offender is aluminum, a common material used in spaceship construction, which when burned releases aluminum oxides that destroy the ozone layer.

Additionally, aluminum oxides may change the atmosphere’s capacity to reflect sunlight, which would impact the thermal equilibrium of the atmosphere.

Before the launch, retired Japanese astronaut Takao Doi, an aerospace engineer and current professor at Kyoto University, told Reuters, “If we can prove our first wooden satellite works, we want to pitch it to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.”

With around 7,000 satellites in orbit, SpaceX is by far the largest satellite operator in the world and may be a major cause of the issue of satellite air pollution.