SpaceX sent the world’s first wooden satellite into space

The satellite, developed by Kyoto University and the processing company Sumitomo Forestry, will be transported to the International Space Station and then placed into orbit about 400 kilometers above Earth.

The palm-sized LignoSat aims to demonstrate the space potential of renewable material: unlike metal satellites, which once their operation is complete become space debris, a wooden one burns upon re-entry, writes Reuters. Additionally, the satellite is designed using traditional Japanese craftsmanship techniques without the use of screws or glue.

The device will remain in orbit for six months and the electronics inside will measure how the wood withstands the extreme conditions of space, where temperatures fluctuate between -100 and 100 degrees Celsius every 45 minutes, the agency said.

Metal satellites could be banned in the future, LignoSat co-creator, Kyoto University professor and former astronaut Takao Doi, told Reuters. The specialist also told the agency that his team has a 50-year plan to plant trees and build wooden houses on the Moon and Mars, and researchers will offer it to Musk if “they can prove that their wooden satellite works.”