In a drastic change from the conventional means, a Japanese company and Kyoto University are collaborating on a pathbreaking project to develop what they say will be the world's first satellites made out of wood, by 2023.
Sumitomo Forestry, the company working on the project, has said that it has started a research on tree growth and use of wooden materials in space. The partnership will start experimenting with different types of wood in extreme environments on earth.?
The problem of space junk has been a major point of discussion over the years. With more and more satellites being launched into the atmosphere, the need to find ways to cut down on the junk has only increased.?
Wooden satellites will go a long way in correcting the problem, as they would burn up without releasing harmful substances into the atmosphere or raining debris on the ground when they dive back to earth.
A professor at Kyoto University and Japanese astronaut,?Takao Doi, was quoted as saying by the BBC,?"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."?
"Eventually it will affect the environment of the Earth."
"The next stage will be developing the engineering model of the satellite, then we will manufacture the flight model," he added.
Soon, the researchers will undertake the development of an engineering model of the satellite, based on which they will manufacture the flight model.
Sumitomo Forestry is in the process of developing wooden materials that are highly resistant to changes in temperature and can flourish in the face of sunlight, which will help satellites survive in space.?