Japan aims to launch the world’s first wooden satellite

Japanese researchers say they are working to build the first satellite made of wood.

The goal is to help fight the space problem waste. Space junk includes things like dead satellites, missing pieces of equipment and small pieces of paint. Such objects can pose a threat to spacecraft and satellites operating in space.

The project is a joint effort involving the Sumitomo Forestry company and Kyoto University in Japan. The development team recently announced plans for the satellite in a press release.

The researchers say the wooden satellite – known as LignoSat – is one of several designed projects that will try to study how wood could be used in space at the time. future.

The developers say that wood offers several benefits over other materials commonly used for the construction of satellites, such as aluminum and other metals.

For example, the researchers say that wood does not block electromagnetic waves. For this reason, wooden structures could be used for living antenna equipment and other control devices, the team said in a statement.

Wooden structures would also be simpler to design and weigh less than conventional satellite equipment, the researchers said. Such satellites would be better for the environment because they would burn up when exposed to the Earth’s atmosphere. They would not emit polluting grains in air and oceans.

Space waste: a growing problem

The researchers say space waste is a growing problem. Thousands of inactive satellites are currently orbiting the Earth, and the number of new satellites is growing. Last year, European and United Nations agencies announced that they were developing a plan for global action to tackle space waste. The groups said debris surrounding the ground needed to be cleared to make room for new satellites.

One of the project leaders is the Japanese astronaut Takao Doi, who is also a professor at Kyoto University. He told BBC News that the force behind the project is the need to limit pollutants released from satellites that remain in the high atmosphere for several years.

“It will ultimately affect the Earth’s environment,” Doi said. He said that after completing the first steps in the research process, the team would begin “developing the satellite engineering model. ”After that, a satellite flight model will be made.

The first wooden satellite could be launched by 2023.

The researchers acknowledge that the project has major technological problems. These include finding a wood material that keeps its shape in extreme temperatures and lasts intense sunlight over a long period of time.

The Japanese project involves the study of various wood-based and protective materials bratan that can sustain in the real situation of space. The team is studying the construction of wooden structures using cedar and birch wood.

The researchers also plan to study how other wood products would perform in space. They want to find out if trees could help humans in terrifying environments such as space stations.

The company that sponsors the project, Sumitomo Forestry, has also made buildings mostly of wood. In 2018, the company announced their largest project, a 350-meter wooden skyscraper to be built in Tokyo. He says the aim is to complete the building by 2041.

My name is Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from AFP, Sumitomo Forestry Company, Kyoto University and BBC News. It was Mario Ritter, Jr. the editor.

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Words in this story

waste – n. material that is no longer useful or works

advantage – n. something that is good or useful

antenna – n. a device used to send or receive communication signals

cover – n. a thin layer of material covering an object for protection or some other purpose