Japan plans to orbit the world's first artificial satellite made out of wood in an out-of-the-box solution to the growing problem of space junk that's making low Earth orbit (LEO) a more dangerous place for astronauts.
This stunning concept was announced by logging and construction company Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University, Japan's second-oldest university and famous for producing world-class researchers. Japan's and the world's first wood satellite has a tentative launch date set for 2023.
The partners said they'll conduct research on using wooden materials in space environments. This project is part of their plan to promote technologies using wood in extreme environments on Earth and space.
They'll also conduct research on building wooden structures in space environments as a first step to erecting future Japanese bases on the Moon or a space station in Earth orbit.
Sumitomo Forestry plans to develop wooden construction materials highly resistant to the elements, as well as temperature changes and sunlight, to make these ambitious projects possible.
Choosing wood for a satellite's body comes with many advantages compared to using aluminum, aluminum alloys, or kevlar. For one, wood doesn't block electromagnetic waves or the Earth's magnetic field, as does aluminum.
This advantage enables satellite equipment such as antennas and attitude control mechanisms to be stored inside the wooden satellite's shell, allowing for a simpler structure.
Also, when a wooden satellite de-orbits and re-enters the Earth's atmosphere, it will burn-up completely compared to metal satellites, some of whose metal parts will survive re-entry to strike the Earth's surface.
On the other hand, a wooden satellite will be destroyed by the fiery re-entry without releasing harmful substances into the atmosphere.
Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University face almost insurmountable challenges in producing the special wood capable of surviving space's extremely destructive environment. This means their wood must remain stable despite the presence of radiation and the vacuum of space.
Experts acknowledge the most important properties of any new material to be used in space are strength and stiffness. Some types of wood exhibit these properties on Earth, but engineering wood to survive space is another matter altogether.
The wood to be developed by Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University will have to maintain its size and shape, or dimensional stability, despite extreme temperature changes.
Aluminum alloys, kevlar, and other materials used in space are among the most advanced materials ever developed.