What if the conquest of space in turn became more ecological? This is probably the ambition of a new project led by Japan which wants to send a wooden satellite into space soon.
But we will obviously have to wait several years before seeing the results of this research.
The plague of space debris
If we are to believe data from the World Economic Forum (WEF), approximately 6,000 satellites are circling overhead right now. These are used in several fields such as television, communication or meteorology. Even more surprisingly, around 60% of the satellites in question would no longer function at present and are therefore counted in the category of space debris.
They therefore represent a real threat to the earth’s population since these obsolete satellites can fall at any time. And since, again according to the WEF, 900 new models are expected to be sent into space every year during this decade, it was time to find a solution.
Knock on wood
Japanese company Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University have teamed up to design a wooden satellite by 2023. Several types of wood will be exposed to extreme conditions on Earth to test their durability to withstand such trip. We must be satisfied with these intentions for the moment.
Such a material would allow a satellite to disintegrate in the atmosphere when it falls without emitting substances harmful to the environment and to human beings by extension. In addition, no debris would return to our planet thanks to the combustion of wood in the atmosphere. It only remains for us to follow this project carefully.
