From popular interior materials, plywood is used to make satellites launched into space this year

Wood can make many things, from toothpicks, tables, crates, houses, to… satellites? An ambitious project will put a small wooden satellite into orbit later this year to see if it can withstand the harsh conditions of space.

WISA Woodsat is a 4-inch (10 cm) square CubeSat satellite, scheduled to launch this fall on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket in New Zealand. Going into orbit is only part of the adventure. Once there, the team will monitor the little cube to see how its plywood material withstands the cold, heat, radiation and vacuum of space.

Earlier on June 12, this satellite was successfully tested. Below is a GIF showing Woodsat attached to the balloon for testing, the balloon explodes as it ascends, the plywood satellite was later recovered and showed no damage.

The only non-wooden parts on the outer part of the satellite are the aluminum rails needed to launch the satellite into space, and an extendable selfie stick that holds a facing camera. satellite body. A regular CubeSat will be made with more metal components.

“The base material for plywood is birch woods and is essentially the same as what you’d find in a popular furniture store,” says Woodsat chief engineer and Arctic Astronatics co-founder Samuli Nyman know in an ESA statement.

The plywood used in the satellite has been dried and treated to give it a better chance of withstanding space conditions. Woodsat’s team anticipates that the outer crust will darken, but will also look at whether any cracks have occurred while it enters orbit.

If Woodsat works well, it could promote the use of plywood as a viable and cheap material for use in spaces. Making satellites from plywood instead of aluminum or steel will have less impact on the environment.

Reference: CNET