Japan to launch a satellite made of wood!

Sometimes newer is not better! Instead of fancy-schmancy space-age materials, Kyoto University in Japan is testing a satellite made from Magnolia Wood since it has many desirable properties compared to metal, and is environmentally friendly. You can read more or watch the video in the article at https://www.independent.co.uk/space/japan-wood-satellite-launch-2024-b2349551.html

Surprisingly, they’re not the first to try this. I found an article about the European Space Agency launching ‘Woodsat’ in 2021 https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/ESA_flying_payloads_on_wooden_satellite