Japan Launches the World's First Wooden Satellite into Space

The satellite is aboard a SpaceX mission to the ISS.

Str/ Jiji Press/ Afp/Getty Images

The the very first wooden spacecraft has been deployed into space. The satellite, developed in Japan, was launched aboard a SpaceX mission to the International Space Station, where it would be placed into orbit, as initially reported by CNN.

The satellite was created through a collaboration between Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry. The satellite was named "LignoSat," derived from the Latin term for wood.

The palm-sized satellite intends to evaluate the durability of wood in space, specifically regarding its implications for human habitation in extraterrestrial environments.

“Utilizing timber, a material we can generate independently, will enable us to construct dwellings and sustain life and work in space indefinitely,” stated Takao Doi, an astronaut researching human space activities at Kyoto University.

Doi stated that if they can demonstrate the satellite's functionality, they intend to present it to SpaceX. Provided that all proceeds well, LignoSat is slated to orbit Earth for a duration of six months.