Chinese company creates wooden rocket fairing — South China Morning Post

In China, commercial space company Light Year Explorer has manufactured a rocket payload fairing with a wooden outer shell. According to the company, the development is intended to reduce costs and shorten the production time of launch vehicles for frequent launches, South China Morning Post reports.

Fairing design

The company from Jiangsu province used low-density plywood, which was given a smooth aerodynamic shape. The internal metal frame is intended to withstand the loads. According to Light Year Explorer, this design matches traditional composite fairings in terms of weight, rigidity, radio transparency, and noise-reduction capability.

The product has a diameter of 4.2 metres. It was designed for common commercial rockets, missions deploying several satellites together, and launches of large individual payloads. The fairing still has to undergo testing and validation procedures, after which the company plans to finalize the design and supply it to customers.

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Payload protection during launch

A payload fairing protects satellites and other payloads during the initial stage of flight through Earth’s atmosphere. It must withstand aerodynamic pressure, heating, and noise, and separates after the rocket enters space so that the payload can reach its designated orbit.

Such structures are usually made from aluminium alloys or advanced composites. Their high cost and lengthy production cycles may limit the frequency of commercial launches. Light Year Explorer said it focuses on inexpensive structural components. According to the company’s estimate, stainless-steel tanks, wooden fairings, and corrugated cylindrical-conical sections together account for about 60% of a rocket’s mass.

Wood is also being tested for space applications by scientists in other countries. In 2024, the first wooden satellite, LignoSat, created by researchers at Kyoto University, was deployed into orbit from the International Space Station.