Made of magnolia, NASA plans to launch the world's first wooden satellite, LignoSat, next year.

CTOnews.com, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) satellites currently orbiting the earth usually use tough metal materials to cope with the harsh space environment and resist a variety of light and radiation damage, but NASA and Kyoto University of Japan plan to launch a wooden satellite, LignoSat, next year.

The LignoSat, made of magnolia wood and the size of a coffee cup, will be launched into Earth orbit in the summer of 2024.

CTOnews.com learned from the report that magnolia will not burn or rot in a vacuum in space, but when it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere, it will burn into tiny ashes, making it a useful and biodegradable material for future satellites.

After successfully testing wood samples on the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this year, the team decided that the test satellite was suitable for launch.

To decide which kind of wood to use, the scientists sent three wood samples-magnolia, cherries or birches-to the International Space Station and stored them in a module exposed to space. The researchers chose Mulan, a wood that is less likely to split or break during the manufacturing process.