The world's first wooden satellite has been launched into space by a SpaceX rocket, its Japanese designers announced on Tuesday, as part of a mission to resupply the International Space Station.
The experimental satellite, called "Lignosat", which is shaped like a wooden cube with each side measuring just 10 centimetres, was launched by an unmanned rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Kyoto University Center for Space Studies said.
The wood is designed to help predict the end of its life, because when it re-enters the atmosphere, it should burn up without producing the metallic particles that usually result from satellites landing on Earth, Kyoto scientists said.
These particles could have a negative impact on the environment and communications, the scientists said.
The Japanese space agency said in a post on the "X" platform that the wooden satellite, mounted in a special box made by the agency, had been "launched into space".
A spokesman for Sumitomo Forestry, the company involved in the development of Lignosat, confirmed to AFP that the launch was "successful", adding that the satellite "will soon reach the International Space Station and will be launched into space in about a month" to test its strength and durability.
The satellite will send data to researchers who will be able to check for signs of malfunction and determine if it can withstand extreme temperature changes.
"Satellites made of non-metals should become more common," said Takao Dowa, an astronaut and professor at Kyoto University, at a press conference earlier this year.
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