Japanese researchers have launched the world’s first wooden satellite, LignoSat, into space on Tuesday, marking an initial step in testing timber’s potential for lunar and Mars exploration.
Developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry, LignoSat, a small palm-sized satellite, was sent to the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission. It will soon be released into orbit approximately 400 km (250 miles) above Earth to explore wood’s sustainability and durability in space environments.
Named after the Latin word for “wood,” LignoSat aims to demonstrate how renewable materials could support future human settlements in space. Takao Doi, an astronaut and researcher at Kyoto University, noted, “With timber, a resource we can cultivate ourselves, we could potentially construct habitats, live, and work in space indefinitely.”
Doi’s team, envisioning a 50-year plan to plant trees and construct timber homes on the moon and Mars, developed a NASA-approved wooden satellite to validate wood as a space-compatible material. Kyoto University’s forest science professor Koji Murata highlighted wood’s history in aerospace, saying, “Early airplanes were made of wood, so a wooden satellite is also feasible.”
Wood remains durable in space due to the absence of oxygen and moisture, which typically cause decay on Earth. This wooden satellite is also environmentally friendly as it fully burns upon re-entry, unlike traditional metal satellites that release aluminium oxide particles. Doi suggests that wooden satellites could be a sustainable alternative, with potential appeal to companies like SpaceX.
The satellite is crafted from honoki wood—a Japanese magnolia species known for strength and traditionally used for sword sheaths—assembled without screws or glue using traditional techniques. Over six months, LignoSat will monitor how wood withstands extreme space temperatures, which shift between -100°C and 100°C, and test its capacity to shield semiconductors from space radiation, potentially paving the way for timber’s use in future data centers and space habitats.
Kenji Kariya from Sumitomo Forestry added, “While it may appear old-fashioned, wood represents cutting-edge technology as we venture toward the moon and Mars, possibly reinvigorating the timber industry for space applications.”
