Company Plans to Launch First Satellite Made of Wood
2021-06-17
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1A company in Finland has developed a satellite made of wood that it plans to launch into orbit this year.
2The small, experimental satellite aims to test the effectiveness of wooden materials used in the extreme conditions of space.
3The project is a cooperative effort between several Finnish businesses, including an engineering company, a maker of research satellites and a major wood producer.
4The European Space Agency is supporting the mission by assisting with pre-flight testing and providing sensors to be placed inside the satellite.
5The wooden satellite is considered a CubeSat.
6A CubeSat is a small satellite mainly used for research purposes by universities and non-profit organizations.
7The one developed in Finland, called WISA Woodsat, is a cube measuring 10 centimeters on all sides.
8The main structure of the satellite is completely made of wood.
9It was built by Arctic Astronautics, a company that also produces and sells CubeSats for educational purposes.
10Jari Makinen is the co-founder of Arctic Astronautics and is leading the Woodsat mission.
11He told Reuters the goal of the project is to expose the satellite's plywood material to the extremes of heat, cold, pressure and radiation.
12Since it will be the first wooden satellite launched into orbit, Makinen said it will be the first test of how such materials might be used to develop future space structures.
13For example, wood could be used to build parts of spacecraft or space stations.
14"We are starting to study the behavior of wood in space," he said.
15Finland's UPM Plywood supplied the wood -- created from birch trees -- for the project.
16The company says it treated the wood with heat in a vacuum to dry it out and add strength.
17A compound containing aluminum and oxygen was also put on the wood to protect it against highly reactive oxygen found in space.
18UPM says it has already carried out many tests with the wood and found it to perform very well in harsh environments.
19The company said Woodsat is made of a sustainable plywood that could be used to replace fossil fuel materials heavily used in the space industry.
20Mission planners have carried out several test flights and say they plan to launch Woodsat aboard a Rocket Lab-built Electron rocket from New Zealand in the autumn.
21The most recent test flight was carried out last Saturday in Finland.
22A balloon carried Woodsat to an altitude of 31 kilometers in a part of Earth's upper atmosphere known as the stratosphere.
23The flight lasted about three hours and "all the systems performed as planned," Makinen said in a statement.
24When it deploys for its full mission, Woodsat is expected to orbit at an altitude of about 500 to 600 kilometers, the European Space Agency said.
25Makinen says Woodsat was also built with two cameras, one of which the satellite can extend on a "selfie stick."
26The reason for this camera is to permit the mission team to watch what is happening to the satellite at all times.
27"We want to have photos of the surface in space," Makinen told Reuters.
28"How does it develop...day by day, is the color changing? We want to see what is happening."
29The selfie camera may be able to capture evidence of cracks or other damage.
30Makinen says he does not believe there will be a huge demand for wooden satellites anytime soon.
31However, he does think "there will be a niche" for wood-based materials to be used in space.
32I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A company in Finland has developed a satellite made of wood that it plans to launch into orbit this year. 2The small, experimental satellite aims to test the effectiveness of wooden materials used in the extreme conditions of space. 3The project is a cooperative effort between several Finnish businesses, including an engineering company, a maker of research satellites and a major wood producer. 4The European Space Agency is supporting the mission by assisting with pre-flight testing and providing sensors to be placed inside the satellite. 5The wooden satellite is considered a CubeSat. A CubeSat is a small satellite mainly used for research purposes by universities and non-profit organizations. 6The one developed in Finland, called WISA Woodsat, is a cube measuring 10 centimeters on all sides. The main structure of the satellite is completely made of wood. It was built by Arctic Astronautics, a company that also produces and sells CubeSats for educational purposes. 7Jari Makinen is the co-founder of Arctic Astronautics and is leading the Woodsat mission. He told Reuters the goal of the project is to expose the satellite's plywood material to the extremes of heat, cold, pressure and radiation. 8Since it will be the first wooden satellite launched into orbit, Makinen said it will be the first test of how such materials might be used to develop future space structures. For example, wood could be used to build parts of spacecraft or space stations. "We are starting to study the behavior of wood in space," he said. 9Finland's UPM Plywood supplied the wood -- created from birch trees -- for the project. The company says it treated the wood with heat in a vacuum to dry it out and add strength. A compound containing aluminum and oxygen was also put on the wood to protect it against highly reactive oxygen found in space. 10UPM says it has already carried out many tests with the wood and found it to perform very well in harsh environments. The company said Woodsat is made of a sustainable plywood that could be used to replace fossil fuel materials heavily used in the space industry. 11Mission planners have carried out several test flights and say they plan to launch Woodsat aboard a Rocket Lab-built Electron rocket from New Zealand in the autumn. 12The most recent test flight was carried out last Saturday in Finland. A balloon carried Woodsat to an altitude of 31 kilometers in a part of Earth's upper atmosphere known as the stratosphere. The flight lasted about three hours and "all the systems performed as planned," Makinen said in a statement. 13When it deploys for its full mission, Woodsat is expected to orbit at an altitude of about 500 to 600 kilometers, the European Space Agency said. 14Makinen says Woodsat was also built with two cameras, one of which the satellite can extend on a "selfie stick." The reason for this camera is to permit the mission team to watch what is happening to the satellite at all times. 15"We want to have photos of the surface in space," Makinen told Reuters. "How does it develop...day by day, is the color changing? We want to see what is happening." The selfie camera may be able to capture evidence of cracks or other damage. 16Makinen says he does not believe there will be a huge demand for wooden satellites anytime soon. However, he does think "there will be a niche" for wood-based materials to be used in space. 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the European Space Agency, Reuters, Arctic Astronautics and UPM. Hai Do was the editor. 19We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 20___________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22mission - n. a flight by an aircraft or spacecraft to perform a specific task 23cube - n. a solid object with six square sides of equal size 24expose - v. to put at rise from something harmful 25vacuum - n. an empty space where there is no air or other gas 26sustainable - adj. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources 27fossil fuels - n. fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas formed in the earth from dead plants or animals 28selfie - n. a picture a person takes of themselves, usually with a mobile phone 29niche - n. a job or activity that is very suitable for someone