A Japanese company and the Japanese university Kyoto, Japan have joined forces to develop what they hope will be the world’s first satellites made out of wood by 2023. Japan developing wooden satellites to cut space junk.
The Japanese logging and company Sumitomo Forestry said that it has started research on tree growth and the use of wood materials in space.
The partnership will begin experimenting with different types of wood in extreme environments on Earth. Space junk is becoming an increasing problem as more satellites are launched into the atmosphere.
Wooden satellites would burn up without releasing harmful substances into the atmosphere or raining debris on the ground when they plunge back to Earth.
The space experts have warned of the increasing threat of space junk falling to Earth because as more spacecraft and satellites are launched.
Satellites are increasingly being used for communication, television, navigation and weather forecasting. Space experts and researchers have been investigating different options to remove and reduce space junk.
Takao Doi, a professor at Kyoto University and Japanese astronaut said that we are very concerned with the fact that all the satellites that re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles that will float in the upper atmosphere for many years.
Professor Takao Doi added, the next stage will be developing the engineering model of the satellite, and then we will manufacture the flight model.
Sumitomo Forestry said it would work on developing wooden materials highly resistant to temperature changes and sunlight.
An American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation Services Company Space-X has already launched more than 900 Star-link satellites and has plans to deploy thousands more.
Space junk travels at an incredibly fast speed of more than 22,300 mph, so can have cause considerable damage to any objects it hits.
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