--- title: "Japanese Scientists Show Off World’s First Wooden Satellite" description: "Japanese scientists have completed the world's first wooden satellite, dubbed LignoSat. It's slated to head to the ISS in September." date: "2024-05-29" modified: "2024-05-29" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/japanese-scientists-wooden-satellite" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "satellites" - "space debris" - "sustainability" - "the digest" --- # Japanese Scientists Show Off World’s First Wooden Satellite ![Japanese scientists have completed the world's first wooden satellite, dubbed LignoSat. It's slated to head to the ISS in September.]() *\Image: STR / Jiji Press / AFP via Getty\* ## LignoSat A team of Japanese scientists has finished constructing the world's first wooden satellite, [*Agence France-Presse* reports](). The satellite dubbed LignoSat, [a collaboration]() between Kyoto University and the company Sumitomo Forestry, is reportedly slated for launch in September onboard a SpaceX rocket. If successful, the tiny cubesat — seriously, the lil' guy measures just four inches on each side! — could represent a major breakthrough in space sustainability efforts. "Satellites that are not made of metal should become mainstream," said astronaut and Kyoto University professor Takao Doi at a press conference, as quoted by the *AFP*. ![]() *STR / Jiji Press / AFP via Getty* ## Coulda Wooda Conventional satellites are mainly comprised of metals — predominantly aluminum — and plastic. But satellites don't stay in space forever. When they're retired, they're sent to reenter the Earth's atmosphere and burn away. However, this practice of satellite cremation might be coming at a great environmental cost, as [scientists worry]() that metal particulates released into the atmosphere from burning aluminum and other satellite materials are [depleting]() atmospheric ozone. That's where LignoSat, which is made of durable magnolia wood, comes in. The idea is that it'll burn up entirely upon reentry, vastly reducing its environmental impact compared to traditional metal spacecraft. That said, LignoSat is still experimental and it's not going directly into orbit. The SpaceX rocket will first drop it off at the Japanese Space Agency's experimental module at the International Space Station. The satellite will be released from there, and hopefully, useful data will be sent back to monitoring researchers. "Data will be sent from the satellite to researchers who can check for signs of strain," a Sumitomo Forestry spokesperson told the *AFP*, "and whether the satellite can withstand huge changes in temperature." In short, we've yet to see how the unique contraption will actually fare once it's out in the cosmos. But as we're currently filling the final frontier with toxic metals and other [garbage](), this very cool experiment, no matter how it shakes out, is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. We're rooting for you, LignoSat! **More on satellites:** [*Giant Piece of Space Junk Crashes down on Farm of Canadian, Who Intends to Sell It and Spend Money on Hockey Rink* ]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()