Japan's wooden satellite exits International Space Station
- Reference: 1736347510
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/01/08/japans_wooden_satellite_leaves_the/
- Source link:
[1]
LignoSat ( pic credit: Kyoto University ) - click to enlarge
LignoSat was sent to the ISS in [2]November 2024 on a mission to demonstrate that wood could be a viable material from which to build spacecraft. The goal of the satellite includes studying how the selected wood reacts when exposed to the environment of space and its resistance to cosmic radiation.
Researchers will also monitor geomagnetic levels to determine whether the geomagnetic field can penetrate the satellite and interfere with the electronics.
According to NASA, three wood species had previously been exposed to space before honoki magnolia was selected to construct the cubesat. The 10cm long wood panels used in the constructions were assembled using a Japanese wood joinery method called "Blind Miter Dovetail Joint." This [3]method means that glue and nails are not required.
Researchers are considering wood for spacecraft construction as a sustainable alternative to conventional materials. While America's finest news source, satirical website The Onion, [4]humorously noted "delays" encountered by Russia in "carving" its contribution to the ISS in 1998, JAXA's project is a serious demonstration of how wood could be an alternative to aluminum and other metals that generally go into satellite construction.
[5]
LignoSat was part of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-30 (J-SSOD-30) CubeSat deployment mission, handled by the JEM Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS). It is expected to spend a few months in low Earth orbit before eventually reentering the Earth's atmosphere and burning up.
[6]Astroscale orbital janitor gets within 15 meters of space junk
[7]Japan's space agency to build a digital twin of its ISS module – right before it retires
[8]NASA's solar sailing spacecraft is tumbling – but that's part of the plan
[9]ISS 'nauts told to duck and cover after dead Russian sat sprays space junk
Considering the rate at which satellites are being launched into orbit – SpaceX [10]sent a batch of 24 Starlink satellites into space earlier this week – the prospect of building the spacecraft out of materials with less of an environmental impact is appealing, although LignoSat does incorporate components made from more conventional materials.
According to a J-Stories [11]report , researchers hope that more of the aluminum parts used to attach electronic components to the wooden box could be replaced by wood in the future.
[12]
In the report, Koji Murata of the Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, said, "If the launch of the wooden satellite proves that timber can be used in space, it should change how we look at timber on Earth and lead to new uses and a reevaluation of the material." ®
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[1] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/01/08/lignosat.jpg
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/05/japan_wooden_satellite/
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_jxYRsx_hM
[4] https://theonion.com/russian-scientists-announce-six-month-delay-in-carving-1819564767/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z36vMzfmiQq7f-id6OD8YQAAAQ4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/13/astroscale_15m_space_junk/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/01/jaxa_iss_digital_twin/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/06/nasa_solar_sail_acs3/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/28/iss_shelter_russian_satellite_breakup/
[10] https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1876412647224066545
[11] https://jstories.media/article/wood-satellite-launch
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z36vMzfmiQq7f-id6OD8YQAAAQ4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Satellite carpentry - a job of the future?
-> mine's the one with the space chisels in it
For some reason, my mind was drawn to the original scripts for Alien 3
Mine's more drawn to the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still", and towards acting rather than script...
What happens when they collide ?
Will the debris be less damaging/polluting than when a metal framed satellite it hit - thus reducing impact of [1]Kessler syndrome ?
I suppose that the contents will still contain much metal, so the box/contents ratio might be important.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome
Well, at least it will burn up well when it eventually reenters the Earth's atmosphere.
Guidance?
Can the craft navigate its way through the cosmos autonomously, or does it need someone to man the elm?
Re: Guidance?
That's the question, willow won't it get there? What do yew think?
I'm sure it will be oak though, and at the end of life it can be reduced to ash.
building the spacecraft out of materials with less of an environmental impact is appealing
Maybe, but I don't think a wooden rocket is going to work all that well.
Everything burns!
Solid boosters wouldn't need an outer shell or parachutes. Main rockets become solid boosters.
This has to be a good thing for that pesky rocket equation. Assuming you can find wood with as much thrust as a liquid rocket.
How many knots is escape velocity?
New opportunity for IKEA?
Assemble your own flatpack satellites.
I like that the construction method does not need glue or nails (or screws, presumably).
Good luck. Only worry is that tracking a wooden satellite using RADAR will be much more difficult than with a metal one.