Japan constructs world's first wooden satellite, set to launch in September

The announcement, made on May 28, detailed that the satellite would be sent into space aboard a SpaceX rocket launched from the United States, according to local media Mainichi Shimbun.

The wooden satellite is the culmination of approximately four years of development by a team of researchers from Kyoto University and the Japanese logging company Sumitomo Forestry.

"We would like to create a satellite, including the electronic substrate portion (contained inside), entirely made from wood in the future," stated Takao Doi, an astronaut and programme-specific professor at Kyoto University.

LignoSat was introduced last year as a collaborative effort between American and Japanese scientists aiming to launch the environmentally friendly probe in the summer of 2024. This innovative satellite is considered an alternative to traditional aluminium satellites that populate Earth's orbit.

"We are very concerned with the fact that all the satellites which re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles, which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years," Doi told the BBC in 2020. "Eventually, it will affect the environment of the Earth," he added.

LignoSat is a 10-centimetre cube crafted from 4 to 5.5 millimetre-thick magnolia wood panels, featuring a partially aluminium frame. Equipped with solar panels on some sides, the satellite weighs approximately 1 kilogram. Reportedly, it is constructed using a traditional Japanese technique that eliminates the need for screws or adhesive materials.