IKEA IN SPACE,THEY NEED A HEX WRENCH

Finnish company will test tiny, wooden satellite in space

By Paul Brinkmann


An illustration depicts the Woodsat satellite with wooden exterior in space. Photo courtesy of Arctic Astronautics

ORLANDO, Fla., June 23 (UPI) -- An educational space technology company in Finland, Arctic Astronautics Ltd., plans to launch this fall a tiny 2-pound satellite made mostly of wood, named Woodsat, as a science experiment and to encourage interest in space.

Small launch company Rocket Lab plans to carry the Woodsat into space aboard an Electron rocket lifting off from New Zealand.

The goal of the mission is to determine how wood and how instruments carried on the satellite behave in space, Samuli Nyman, chief technology officer of Arctic Astronautics, said in an interview.

"Wood has been used in aviation, and model airplanes especially, for a long time," Nyman said. "And it turns out, wood has some special properties in space. It is anti-magnetic, which can be important, and it can withstand the extreme cold of space, whereas metal and plastic can become brittle in extreme cold."

Woodsat has attracted attention from corporations and media around the world and elicited cooperation from the European Space Agency.

Arctic Astronautics, which normally focuses on tiny educational satellite kits for schools, builds Woodsat. A Finnish company, UPM Plywood, provides high-quality wood for the craft and covers the launch cost.

Prototypes of the Woodsat are prepared at a laboratory in Finland for testing in June. Photo courtesy of Arctic Astronautics


A Woodsat satellite is prepared for a June 12 test flight in Finland. Photo courtesy of Arctic Astronautic

YES I KNOW IKEA IS NOT FINNISH