Finland is preparing to launch the first satellite made of wood in 2021. With its help, scientists aspire to discover how wood behaves in the extreme conditions of space . The wooden satellite, called “WISA Woodsat” , is just 10 cubic centimeters and carries various sensors and two cameras , one of which will record images from space, while the second will record the changes that the space environment will bring to the plywood sheets, from which the satellite is made. The wooden satellite will weigh no more than one kilogram .
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Its launch is scheduled for next fall by the American company “Rocket Lab”. Getting it into orbit is only part of the adventure. Once there, the team will monitor the behavior and durability of the plywood in the cold, heat, radiation and vacuum of space.
The mission manager is Jari Makinen, co-founder of Arctic Astronautics. The European Space Agency (ESA) is providing a suite of sensors to monitor the satellite's performance and will also assist in pre-flight testing.
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The only non-wooden parts of the satellite on the outside are the aluminum rails, which are required to launch the satellite into space, and an extendable selfie stick that will hold a rear-facing camera on the body.
The plywood used in the satellite has been dried and treated to give it a better chance of withstanding the conditions of space. The Woodsat team expects the satellite's exterior to darken, but will also look for cracks while it's in orbit.
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If Woodsat performs well, it could give new impetus to wood as a potential material for use in space. Makinen said Woodsat is simply a beautiful object in terms of traditional Scandinavian design and simplicity, so it will be particularly interesting to see it in orbit.
