Japanese researchers are working to create wooden satellites

Floating around the Earth are a lot of satellites. Great for GPS, weather pattern monitoring, and the Internet, not so great for space junk. That’s why Sumitomo Forestry and the University of Kyoto are teaming up to create the world’s first wooden satellites by 2023.

You may think that metal satellites burn out upon re-entry, but it turns out it’s not that simple. “We are very concerned that all satellites that re-enter Earth’s atmosphere burn out and create tiny alumina particles that will float in the upper atmosphere for many years,” said Takao Doi, astronaut and professor at the Kyoto University. BBC when talking about the project. “Eventually it will affect the Earth’s environment.”

Wood, however, would do they burn completely upon re-entry without leaving harmful substances in the atmosphere, or perhaps scattering dangerous debris. According to Nikkei AsiaAnother reason researchers are experimenting with wood is that it doesn’t block electromagnetic waves or the Earth’s own magnetic field. That means that the wooden satellites could have simpler constructions, since components like antennas could be placed inside the satellite itself.

As for the type of wood, Sumitomo Forestry is keeping quiet. The company simply told the BBC that it was an “R&D” secret, but that it would be resistant to changes in temperature, sunlight and extreme weather conditions. Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University also said they would also study the feasibility of building wooden structures in space until March 2024.

For now, Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University are aiming to create a “proof of concept” and investigate the growth of trees and how wood materials behave in space. The next step, according to Doi, is to create an engineering model for the satellite, followed by a flight model. But even if wooden satellites are not turned into something, it is possible that whatever wood is developed could be used in more extreme environments on Earth.

According to the World Economic Forum, there are approximately 6,000 satellites currently in orbit, of which 60% are actually missing. Meanwhile, an estimated 990 satellites will be launched each year for the next decade. The WEF also notes that there are more than half a million pieces of space junk larger than a marble currently floating around the Earth and 20,000 pieces of rubble that are bigger than a baseball. These pieces of junk are not static. In reality, they move at speeds of up to 17,500 miles per hour, the speed necessary to stay in orbit and not fall back on Earth. According to POT, more space junk presents an increasing danger of collision for all types of spacecraft, including the International Space Station, shuttles, and any other type of craft that can carry humans. (In fact, NASA and Russian flight controllers regularly practice avoidance maneuvers to protect the ISS from space debris). The debris doesn’t even need to be particularly large to cause damage; Paint stains have even been shown to damage space shuttle windows.

The space clutter problem is only getting worse, as both Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Amazon’s Project Kuiper race to launch thousands of satellites in orbit to provide low-cost Internet. Meanwhile, astronomers too expressed concern that these constellations of satellites could potentially disrupt your ability to observe the cosmos. It’s unclear how many wooden satellites would alleviate the problem, but hey, it has to be better than putting more scrap metal in there.