Tokyo: The world's first wooden satellite, LignoSat, was among five CubeSats deployed into Earth’s orbit from the International Space Station in December last year. The mission was carried out by Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). LignoSat was deployed around 400 km above the earth's surface.
The satellite will investigate the use of wood in space. It was deployed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry. It arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) in November last year. LignoSat measures four inches on each side. It reportedly weighs 900 grams.
Here's The Video:
"A previous experiment aboard station exposed three species of wood to the space environment to help researchers determine the best option for LignoSat. The final design used 10 cm long honoki magnolia wood panels assembled with a Japanese wood-joinery method," NASA said in a statement.
Notably, sensors on board LignoSat will probe the strain on wood when operated between -100 to 100 degrees Celsius every 45 minutes . JAXA will evaluate the satellites ability to shield the equipment from geomagnetic field. It will also reportedly test the feasibility for the Mars and the lunar missions.
As per NASA, researchers will use sensors to evaluate strain on the wood and measure its responses to temperature and radiation in space. "Geomagnetic levels will also be monitored to determine whether the geomagnetic field can penetrate the body of the wooden satellite and interfere with its technological capabilities. Investigating uses for wood in space could lead to innovative solutions in the future," it added.
If the mission is successful, then it would provide a solution to the problem of space debris and wooden satellites would burn up after entering the Earth's atmosphere. On the contrary Conventional satellites generate aluminium oxide particles during their re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
