{
  "id": 18467716,
  "title": "Chinese space firm builds wooden rocket nose cone for cheaper, frequent launches",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/chinese-space-firm-builds-wooden-rocket-nose-cone-for-cheaper-18467716",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-06T08:00:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3373486/chinese-space-firm-builds-wooden-rocket-nose-cone-cheaper-frequent-launches"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chinese space firm Light Year Explorer has unveiled a rocket fairing made of wooden outer skin to help reduce the cost of space launches. The company, based in Jiangsu, used low-density plywood to form a smooth, aerodynamic curve for the protective shell, supported by an internal metal framework to handle loads. The design matches traditional composite fairings in performance areas such as weight, structural rigidity, radio wave transparency, and noise reduction, while significantly cutting production costs and reducing manufacturing time.\n\nThe 4.2-meter diameter fairing is designed for mainstream commercial rockets, suitable for multi-satellite 'ride-share' missions and large single payloads to support frequent launches for satellite constellations. The company plans to conduct tests and validation to finalize the design before delivering it to customers.\n\nRocket fairings, or nose cones, protect satellites and payloads during the initial ascent through Earth's atmosphere, shielding them from intense pressure, heating, and noise. Once the rocket exits the atmosphere, the fairing separates and falls away. Currently, these structures are typically made from aluminum alloys or advanced composite materials, which can limit the frequency of commercial satellite launches due to high manufacturing costs and long production cycles.\n\nChinese commercial space companies are exploring cost-effective technologies, including reusable rockets, to enable affordable, frequent, and sustainable launches. Light Year Explorer is focusing on developing cost-effective structural components for rockets, manufacturing items like stainless steel tanks, wooden fairings, and corrugated cylinder-cone segments that make up about 60% of a vehicle's weight.\n\nWood has been experimented with for space applications due to its clean-burning properties, minimal pollution, and potential durability in the vacuum of space. In 2024, the world's first wooden satellite, LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University researchers, was launched from the International Space Station. However, scientists were unable to establish reliable communication with the satellite, potentially due to software and antenna deployment issues. The next launch is scheduled for the following year, aiming to establish ground communication.",
  "summary": "Chinese commercial space firm Light Year Explorer has manufactured a rocket fairing with a wooden outer skin as part of the company’s push for lower-cost, mass-produced launch vehicles. The design of the protective shell uses low-density plywood formed into a smooth aerodynamic curve, supported by an internal metal framework to bear loads, according to the Jiangsu-based company. “This…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}