There are nearly 6,000 satellites circling the Earth, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). About 60% of them have stopped working and are considered space junk.
In order to reduce the impact of this garbage, a Japanese company and the University of Kyoto have joined forces to develop the world’s first satellites made of wood by 2023 .
Sumitomo Forestry
The wooden satellites would burn without releasing harmful substances into the atmosphere or raining debris onto the ground when they return to Earth. For this reason, the Sumitomo Forestry company has begun to investigate the growth of trees and the use of wood materials in space .
Thus, the idea is the development of wooden materials highly resistant to changes in temperature and sunlight. As Takao Doi , a professor at Kyoto University and a Japanese astronaut, explains:
We are very concerned about the fact that all satellites that re-enter Earth’s atmosphere burn out and create tiny alumina particles that will float in the upper atmosphere for many years.
Research firm Euroconsult estimates that 990 satellites will be launched each year this decade, meaning that by 2028 there could be 15,000 satellites in orbit.