Japan plans to launch the world's first wooden satellite this September.  The experimental satellite, called LignoSat, was developed by researchers at Kyoto University and the Japanese logging company Sumitomo Forestry. It is set to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) in September, after which it will be deployed into orbit, according to the Japan Times.   LignoSat is a tiny cube that measures 4 inches (10 centimeters) on a side and weighs just over 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms). It was crafted using a traditional Japanese technique that doesn't require screws or glue and is equipped with external solar panels.

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If LignoSat does well, new doors could open for reducing the environmental impact of satellite reentries. Traditional satellites can deposit harmful metal particles in Earth's atmosphere when they fall back to our planet and burn up in our air. "Expanding the potential of wood as a sustainable resource is significant," Takao Doi, an astronaut and professor from Kyoto University, told the Japan Times. "We aim to build human habitats using wood in space, such as on the moon and Mars, in the future."

World’s First Wooden Satellite was Launched into Earth's Orbit @neosciencehub #WoodenSatellite #LignoSat #Spacenews #Newsupdates #neosciencehub

In December 2024, five CubeSats including the first wooden satellite in history, LignoSat, were launched into Earth’s orbit. The satellites were transported aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, 400 kilometers above Earth, and arrived at the ISS one month before to launch. Together with homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry, Kyoto University constructed the LignoSat. It is composed of panels of…