We might soon see the launch of the world’s first wooden satellite. WISA Woddsat, a nanosatellite that measures 10 x 10 x 10 centimeters and weighs only 1kg, is built using a special plywood coating for its surface panels called WISA.
The wooden satellite will be launched alongside a mission designed by Arctic Astronautics, a Finnish company that manufactures cubesat kits for students. The mission will aim to put these plywood panels to test and check their durability in harsh conditions of space.
How will the satellite survive?
The satellite will be equipped with two cameras, one of which will be attached to a metal selfie stick. It will enable the mission team to see how the satellite’s plywood surface changes in space.
“The base material for plywood is birch, and we’re using basically just the same as you’d find in a hardware store or to make furniture,” said Samuli Nymanm, Woodsat chief engineer. “The main difference is that ordinary plywood is too humid for space uses, so we place our wood in a thermal vacuum chamber to dry it out. Then we also perform atomic layer deposition, adding a very thin aluminum oxide layer.”
Aluminum oxide that also comes in handy to encapsulate electronics, will be used to prevent the plywood from releasing any gas in space, Nymanm notes. It will also prevent the surface from corrosive atomic oxygen found in our planet’s atmosphere.
3D-printed plastic material
Additionally, engineers will also be testing several varnishes and lacquers on sections of the plywood. The satellite will also have a set of pressure sensors to monitor the pressure in onboard cavities especially during its initial days in orbit.
Besides, the satellite will also test the use of novel 3D-printed electrically conductive plastic material. If the experiment is successful, it will pave the way for onboard 3D printing of power and data cables in space, ESA said in a statement.
The project is a partnership between UPM Plywood, which manufactures plywood, and technology design firm Huld. “We foresee a lot of possibilities in the future by using the know-how developed in this mission,” said Matti Anttila, Space Business Development Director from Huld.
