A Japanese company and the University of Kyoto have decided to develop a satellite made out of wood by 2023.
It is as a solution for the growing load of space junk as more satellites released to the orbit and to avoid releasing harmful substances in the burning when satellites re-enter to Earth’s atmosphere.
With the partnership of Sumitomo Forestry, the experiments will be conducted with different types of wood on extreme weather conditions. However, the Forestry has already begun tree growth for space wood material.
"We are very concerned with the fact that all the satellites which re-enter the Earth's atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years. Eventually it will affect the environment of the Earth." said Takao Doi, a professor at Kyoto University and astronaut.
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), there are nearly 6,000 satellites circling Earth. However, about 60% of them can be considered as space junk since they are defunct.
Source –BBC