Japan working to develop first wooden satellites to reduce space junk

 All the satellites which re-enter the atmosphere of Earth burn and create tiny alumina particles.

A Japanese Company and Kyoto University have decided to collaborate to develop the world’s first wooden satellites which will be made out of wood by 2023. The research has already started on tree growth and the use of wood materials in space.

As more satellites are being launched by the countries globally, space junk is becoming an increasing problem. The collaborators will begin the experiment with different types of wood in extreme environments on Earth.

How space junk is harmful to Earth?

According to a Professor at Kyoto University and a Japanese Astronaut, Takao Doi, there is a concern with the fact that all the satellites which re-enter the atmosphere of Earth burn and create tiny alumina particles.

They will then float in the upper atmosphere for many years and eventually will affect the Earth’s environment. The traveling speed of Space Junk is incredibly fast and is more than 22,300 mph and has the capacity to cause considerable damage to any objects that it will hit.

A tiny piece of space junk, in 2006, had collided with ISS, taking a chip out of the heavily reinforced window.

What will be the next stage in the development of wooden satellites?

As per Professor Doi, the next stage for wooden satellites will be to develop the engineering model of the satellite and then the flight model will be developed. As an astronaut, in March 2008, he had visited the International Space Station-ISS. 

According to Sumitomo Forestry, founded more than 400 years ago, it will be working on the development of wooden materials that are highly resistant to changes in temperature and sunlight.

Problem of increased space junk:

As more satellites and spacecraft are launched, there is an increasing threat of space junk falling to Earth. Satellites have been increasingly used for television, communication, weather forecasting, and navigation, and researchers and space experts have been searching for different options to reduce and remove the space junk.

According to the World Economic Forum, there are nearly 6,000 satellites that are revolving around the Earth and around 60% of them are space junk.

As per the estimate by the research firm, every year 990 satellites will be launched in this decade which will mean that by the year 2028 there can be 15,000 satellites in the orbit.