---
title: "Scientists Are Officially Launching a Wooden Satellite"
description: "The world's first satellite primarily made out of wood is set to launch later this year, and it's bringing a selfie stick to mark the occasion."
date: "2021-07-15"
modified: "2021-07-15"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/officially-launching-wooden-satellite"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "cubesat"
  - "satellite"
  - "the digest"
  - "wooden"
---

# Scientists Are Officially Launching a Wooden Satellite

![The world's first satellite primarily made out of wood is set to launch later this year, and it's bringing a selfie stick to mark the occasion.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/officially-launching-wooden-satellite.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Arctic Astronautics\</em\>*

## Plywood Cubesat

The world's first satellite primarily made out of wood is set to launch later this year, and it's bringing a selfie stick to mark the occasion, [*Defense One* reports](<https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2021/07/plywood-satellite-cleared-space-launch/183752/>).

The WISA Woodsat, a collaboration between Finnish cubesat startup Arctic Astronautics and the European Space Agency, features an outer shell made out of birch-plywood, a material surprisingly resilient to the harsh environment of outer space.

On July 9 the ESA certified the tiny wooden cube for flight, and it's now set to launch aboard Rocket Lab's Electron rocket later this year in an exciting new development in the history of satellite technology, which has [traditionally relied on aluminum and its alloys](<https://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2019/09/23/what_materials_keep_satellites_safe_in_space.html#:~:text=As%20titanium%20is%20much%20harder,form%20of%20aluminum%2Dcoated%20polyimide.>). Wood would also make the satellite far more likely to burn up completely upon reentry, ensuring it won't be adding to our [considerable space junk problem](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-head-slams-united-states-for-shameful-space-junk>).

## Flying Wood

The idea for the wooden invention goes way back.

"I started half-seriously to think about wooden satellite(s), because I've been doing wooden aircraft models, have been flying ‘real’ planes made of wood, and I have been involved with space technology since \[the\] 1990s," Arctic Astronautics chief strategy officer Jari Mäkinen told *Defense One*. "I felt that wood might be a good material, especially plywood."

In a preliminary test, the company sent up a test flight balloon with a cubesat-sized box made out of birch and birch plywood. The material held up "surprisingly well" in the upper atmosphere, according to Mäkinen.

It's not the only company designing wooden satellites. Japanese firm Sumitomo Forestry announced a collaboration with Kyoto University in December to [launch the first-ever wooden satellite](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/japanese-startup-wooden-satellites>) into space some time in 2023 — which only motivated the Finnish startup to work even harder, according to *Defense One*.

The WISA cubesat does feature light metal plates on the interior to hold its electronics in place, but even these components are designed to burn up upon reentry, leaving no trace behind.

The company expects the tiny satellite to release vapors as it is being bombarded by corrosive atomic oxygen in orbit. A small camera will record this slow decay.

The team is hoping the cubesat will survive for two years, an impressive feat for a box made out of plywood.

**READ MORE:** [Plywood Satellite Cleared for Space Launch](<https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2021/07/plywood-satellite-cleared-space-launch/183752/>) \[*Defense One*\]

**More on wooden satellites:** *[A Japanese Startup Is Building Wooden Satellites](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/japanese-startup-wooden-satellites>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)