Japan Launches World's First Wooden Satellite for Space Exploration

The world's first wood-panelled satellite, LignoSat, has been launched into space by Japanese researchers to test timber's viability as a renewable building material for future space exploration. The 900g satellite, made from magnolia wood using traditional techniques, will orbit Earth for six months to assess how wood withstands space conditions. Researchers hope wood could replace some metals in spacecraft, offering a sustainable alternative. While wood has been used in space before, experts note challenges in its engineering predictability and potential weight increase for spacecraft.