Floating around the Earth is a mass of satellites. Cool for GPS, tracking weather patterns, and the internet – not so cool for space waste. That’s why Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University are teaming up to create the world’s first timber satellite by 2023.
You might think that metal satellites burn up when they come in again, but as they turn out, it ‘s not that simple. “We are very concerned that all the satellites entering the Earth’s atmosphere are burning and forming tiny alumina particles that will float in the upper atmosphere for several years,” said Takao Doi, astronaut and professor at Kyoto University, to the BBC when you talk about the project. “Ultimately it will affect the Earth’s environment. ”
Wood, however, would burn completely on re-entry without leaving harmful substances in the atmosphere – or possibly scattering dangerous debris. according to Nikkei Asia, another reason the researchers are experimenting with wood is that it will not block the Earth ‘s own electromagnetic waves or magnetic field. That means that wooden satellites could have simpler buildings, as components such as antennas could be placed inside the satellite itself.
In terms of wood type, Sumitomo Forestry keeps a mum. The company only told the BBC that it was an “R&D” mission, but that it would withstand temperature changes, sunlight and severe weather. Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University also said they would also be exploring the possibility of building wooden structures in space through March 2024.
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For now, Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University are aiming to create a “proof of concept” and study the growth of trees and how wood products behave in space. The next step, according to Doi, is to create an engineering model for the satellite, followed by a flight model. But even if wooden satellites do not become a thing, it is possible that whatever timber is developed will be used in more remote environments on Earth.
According to the World Economic Forum, there are currently about 6,000 satellites in orbit, 60% of which are useless. At the same time, it is estimated that 990 satellites will be launched each year for the next decade. The WEF also notes that over half a million pieces of space waste larger than marble currently floating around the Earth and 20,000 pieces of debris which is larger than a softball. These pieces of rubbish are not static. They are of course moving at speeds up to 17,500 miles per hour, the distance required to stay in orbit and not fall back to Earth itself. according to NASA, more space debris poses a greater risk of colliding with all types of spacecraft, including the International Space Station, a shuttle, and any other type of spacecraft people could carry. (Of course, NASA and Russian flight controllers regularly use avoidance movements to protect the ISS from space debris.) The debris doesn’t even have to be large enough to cause damage – even paintball damage to space shuttle windows has been reported.
The problem of space clipping isn’t getting worse, with Amazon having both EX Musk’s SpaceX and Amazon’s Kuiper Project race to launch thousands of satellites into orbit to provide low-cost internet. At the same time, there are astronauts too expressed concern that those satellite constella could be eliminate their ability to observe the cosmos. It’s not clear how many wooden satellites would alleviate the problem, but hey, it’s better than sticking more metal scrap there.