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FP trendDecember 31, 2020 10:53:20 am IST
A Japanese startup called Sumitomo Forestry has teamed up with researchers from Kyoto University to work on a wooden satellite, it reported. BBC. While the entire plan is in a nascent stage, the project aims to address the growing threat from space debris. Sumitomo Forestry is currently working on testing the use of wood materials in space and will soon be experimenting with wood in extreme locations on Earth. Continuing their research, the two teams plan to launch the world’s first satellite made of wood in 2023.
Artistic illustration of the garbage that exists in space. Image Credit: Wikipedia
The report says the wooden satellites were a better alternative to existing ones, as they would burn after entering the atmosphere without releasing harmful substances. No debris will be generated and the risk of space debris landing on Earth can be reduced.
Takao Doi, a professor at Kyoto University and a Japanese astronaut, was quoted by BBC to claim that all satellites re-entering Earth’s atmosphere today “burn and create tiny alumina particles that will float in the upper atmosphere for many years.” This can be harmful in the long run, something they aspire to avoid using wood as a material.
Although the company has not disclosed the name of the wood for R&D purposes, they are working on developing wood materials that are “highly resistant to changes in temperature and sunlight.” The report also drew attention to the threat posed by space debris. He mentions that in the coming years, more and more countries will send more satellites. But already of the total number of satellites that surround our planet, about 60 percent of them are extinct according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).
A report from ARS Technica however, he noted that just using wood for satellites is not going to make a difference. The article cites figures that suggest that a large amount of space debris consists of the propellant or equipment used to propel satellites into space. Even if wood is incorporated, this number will not be affected. Although if the satellite goes out of orbit, the wood will burn completely, but this will not prevent some small pieces of aluminum from entering the mix, since many of them can come from rockets.
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