World’s first wooden satellite launched into space

Takao Doijapanese astronaut

Satellites that are not made of metal should become mainstream,

Takao Doi, an astronaut and special professor at Kyoto University, said at a press conference earlier this year

If we can prove our first wooden satellite works, we want to pitch it to Elon Musk's SpaceX,

Doi said

It may seem outdated, but wood is actually cutting-edge technology as civilization heads to the moon and Mars,

he said

Metal satellites might be banned in the future,

Doi said

Takao Doijapanese astronaut

With timber, a material we can produce by ourselves, we will be able to build houses, live and work in space forever,

said Takao Doi, an astronaut who has flown on the Space Shuttle and studies human space activities at Kyoto University

Early 1900s airplanes were made of wood,

said Kyoto University forest science professor Koji Murata