Updates from Kyoto University or Sumitomo Forestry, or reports from the International Space Station

Japan's LignoSat, World's First Wooden Satellite, Launched via SpaceX's CRS-31 Mission

Nov 5, 2024, 01:34 PM

On November 5, 2024, Japanese researchers launched the world's first wooden satellite, LignoSat, into space aboard a SpaceX rocket on the CRS-31 mission. Developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, LignoSat is a small cube-shaped satellite made entirely from durable Japanese magnolia wood (honoki), assembled without metal screws or glue. The satellite was sent to the International Space Station as part of a resupply mission and will orbit the Earth for six months. The mission aims to test the durability and feasibility of using timber as a space-grade material in space exploration, including potential applications in lunar and Mars missions. Professor Koji Murata of Kyoto University remarked, 'Early 1900s airplanes were made of wood. A wooden satellite should be feasible, too.'