- Kyoto University is working with Japanese forestry company Sumitomo Forestry to develop a wooden satellite that can be sent into orbit.
- The idea is that an appliance made of wood can burn safely on return and would create less space junk.
- Space junk is a growing concern among experts, who say it poses a threat to the environment.
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Kyoto University is working with a Japanese forestry company to develop wooden satellites that can orbit Earth by 2023 in an effort to reduce space debris, the BBC reports.
Kyoto University professor and Japanese astronaut Takao Doi told the BBC that the advantage of a wooden satellite is that if it falls from orbit and burns up on return, it does not release as many harmful particles as metal satellites.
“We are very concerned that any satellites that reenter Earth’s atmosphere will burn up and create tiny alumina particles that will float in the upper atmosphere for many years. […] Ultimately, it will affect the Earth’s environment, ”Doi said.
Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry will experiment on how well different woods can withstand extreme conditions on Earth, with a view to developing a wood that can withstand wide variations in temperature and sunlight.
Space junk and debris is a growing concern among experts. “Space debris is a growing concern, and the collision of two massive space debris objects – ranging from one to ten tons – is the biggest environmental risk,” said Daniel Oltrogge, director of the Center for Space Standards and Innovation (CSSI). Insider. While estimates vary, Oltrogge said the CSSI believes there are currently 760,000 objects larger than an inch in size orbiting Earth.
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That number is still growing, especially as commercial companies launch their own constellations of satellites. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched nearly 900 of its superfast Starlink satellites to date and plans to eventually launch between 12,000 and 42,000 of them.
Amazon is leading a similar project called Project Kuiper, which received FCC approval in July to launch 3,236 satellites.