World's First Wooden Satellite Aims to Reach Space by End of 2021
                     World's First Wooden 
Satellite Aims to 
Reach Space by End 
of 2021
Introduction
• Artic Astronautics, a Finnish company will send the world’s first wooden satellite into 
space by the end of 2021.
Source: www.jagranjosh.com
WISA Woodsat
• The wooden satellite named WISA Woodsat, designed and developed in Finland is a 
cube-shaped nanosatellite scheduled to be launched on a Rocket Lab’s Electron 
rocket in New Zealand in November 2021.
Source: www.jagranjosh.com
Help in Monitoring
• This wooden satellite will help the scientists monitor how does wood reacts in the cold, 
heat, radiation, and the vacuum of space. If it survives well, then wood could become 
a possible material for use in space.
Source: www.jagranjosh.com
World’s first wooden satellite
• The WISA Woodsat is a nanosatellite and the brainchild of Jari Makinen, co-founder of 
Arctic Astronautics.
• The cube-shaped satellite measures 4x4x4 inches (10x10x10 centimeters) and 
weighs approximately 2.2 lbs (1 kg).
Source: www.jagranjosh.com
Mission of WISA Woodsat
• WISA Woodsat satellite will help the scientists monitor how does wood reacts in the 
cold, heat, radiation, and the vacuum of space. They will be able to study the durability 
and behavior of plywood in extreme conditions in space.
Source: www.jagranjosh.com
Where will the satellite be 
placed?
• During the pre-flight testing, it was concluded that the WISA Woodsat will be able to survive in an 
orbit as high as 500-600 km.
• The WISA Woodsat therefore will be launched into polar orbit as high as 370 miles (500-600 km) 
on Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket in November 2021.
Source: www.jagranjosh.com
FEATURES OF 
WISA WOODSAT
Sensors to help monitor
• The European Space Agency (ESA) has provided a suite of sensors to help monitor 
the performance of the satellite and will also assist with pre-flight testing.
Source: www.jagranjosh.com
Dry Plywood
• The wood has been dried out and treated to level up the chances of it surviving in 
space. 
• The plywood has been dried out in a vacuum chamber as the composition of regular 
plywood is too humid for space use. 
• The panels have been treated with a very thin layer of aluminum oxide for better 
performance.
Source: www.jagranjosh.com
How will a wooden satellite 
survive outer space?
• The aluminum oxide will prevent the plywood from releasing any gas into space. 
Aluminum oxide is typically used as a chemical compound to encapsulate electronics. 
• It will further protect the surface of plywood panels from exposure to corrosive atomic 
oxygen
Source: www.jagranjosh.com
Atomic oxygen 
• Atomic oxygen was first discovered when the thermal blankets of NASA’s early Space 
Shuttle missions were damaged. 
• Atomic oxygen is created when the UV radiation from the Sun splits the molecules of 
normal oxygen.
Source: www.jagranjosh.com