Tokyo: Japanese scientists have developed the world’s first environmentally friendly satellite, which will be sent into space later this year.
The wooden satellite, called LingoSat, is the result of four years of research by a team of scientists from Kyoto University and Sumimoto Forestry.
The idea of the satellite is linked to sustainability whereby the researchers aimed to build the satellite using wood instead of metals.
The satellite will be handed over to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency next week, after which it will be flown to Florida on a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station in September.
The Lingo seat is a 10cm cube with a 5.5mm thick magnolia panel clad around a frame made partly of aluminium. The satellite is also equipped with solar panels and weighs only one kilogram.
The spacecraft is assembled from magnolia wood using the traditional no-nails technique used to build shrines for centuries.
Early tests used different types of wood to determine which wood would best withstand the stresses of space launches and long-duration flights, with magnolia wood living up to expectations.
Project leader Koji Murata said the wood’s ability to withstand harsh conditions surprised scientists.
