Japan launched the world's first wooden satellite on March 22, 2026. The satellite is called LignoSat-2. It went into space on a JAXA H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan.
JAXA and Kyoto University built LignoSat-2 together. A team led by Professor Takao Doi, a former astronaut, worked on the project for almost six years. The satellite is about 30 centimeters on each side. It is made from a wood called honoki, a type of Japanese magnolia. The team tested more than 20 types of wood before choosing honoki.
Space debris is a big problem. The European Space Agency says more than 36,000 large pieces of old satellites orbit Earth. When metal satellites fall back to Earth, they do not always burn up completely. Small metal pieces can stay in the atmosphere. A 2025 study by the University of British Columbia warned this could damage the ozone layer. The number of satellite launches grows about 15% every year.
A wooden satellite is different. It burns completely when it comes back to Earth. It leaves no harmful materials in the atmosphere. Dr. Keiko Nakamura from the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Tsukuba, Japan, said wood returns safely to nature.
LignoSat-2 will stay in space for 12 months. Its sensors will measure temperatures between -150°C and +120°C. A camera will photograph the wood's surface to check for damage. A team of 12 researchers at Kyoto University will study the data. Dr. Sarah Chen, a space engineer at MIT, said wooden satellites show promise, but more research is still needed.