Woodsat is the brainchild of Jerry McKinnon, co-founder of the Cubist replica kit company Arctic Astronautics. The European Space Agency, or ESA, is providing a sensor to track the satellite’s performance and will also assist in pre-flight testing.
Outside, the only non-wooden parts of the plywood satellite are the aluminum rails needed to launch the satellite into space, and there is an expandable selfie stick that will hold a sharp camera on the body. A typical CubeSat would usually be made of metal.
“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 Woodsat chief engineer and Arctic Astronatics co-founder Samuli Nyman in an ESA statement last week.
The plywood used in the satellite has been dried and treated to give it a better chance to withstand space conditions. Woodsat’s team expects the exterior to be dark, but they will also want to see if any cracks appear while in orbit.
If woodsat performs well, it can create a new shape for wood as a potential material for use in space. “In the end,” McKinnon said, “Woodsat is just a beautiful thing in terms of traditional Nordic design and simplicity. It should be very interesting to see it in orbit.”
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