Japanese scientists blended traditional woodworking techniques with state-of-the-art electronics to fashion the world's first wooden satellite.

The satellite is made from magnolia wood, which was historically used for samurai sheaths.

TOKYO (Nov 6): The world’s first wooden satellite has blasted off on a SpaceX rocket, its Japanese developers said Tuesday, part of a resupply mission to the International Space Station. Scientists at Kyoto University expect the wooden material to burn up when the device re-enters the atmosphere — potentially providing a way to avoid generatingRead More

The satellite is onboard a SpaceX flight to the ISS.

LignoSat will test the possibilities of building wooden human habitats in space

The world's first wooden satellite, built by Japanese researchers, was launched into space on Tuesday, in an early test of using timber in lunar and Mars exploration.

Scientists at Kyoto University expect the wooden material to burn up when the device re-enters the atmosphere -- potentially providing a way to avoid generating metal particles when a retired satellite returns to Earth.

SpaceX has launched the world's first wood-paneled satellite into space "to test the suitability of timber as a renewable building material in future exploration of destinations like the Moon and Mars," reports the BBC. From the report: Made by researchers in Japan, the tiny satellite weighing just...

KYOTO: The world's first wooden satellite, built by Japanese researchers, was launched into space on Tuesday (Nov 5), in an early test of using timber in lunar and Mars exploration. LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry, will be flown to the International Space Station o