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Meet WISA Woodsat
Wednesday 12 May 2021 will be an important day: we’ll reveal the WISA Woodsat prototype and explain the whole mission in two events.

"Selfie stick" and crazy ideas on Huld TV

WISA Woodsat chief engineer Samuli Nyman and project manager Jari Mäkinen from Arctic Astronautics will meet Huld’s Matti Anttila on Huld TV and talk about the mission in general and discuss the importance of crazy ideas that turn out to be extremely interesting.

As Huld has designed the “selfie stick” of the satellite, it will have the main role in this event. 

Huld TV is free and open for all, but a prior registration is needed. Please note this event will be in Finnish.

Satellite prototype presentation in English at 11:00 CEST on UPM Plywood's YouTube channel

The highlight of the day will be an official revealing of the satellite prototype. The event will take place at UPM Headquarters in Helsinki and it will be broadcasted at 11 am CEST on UPM Plywood’s YouTube channel. The live event is open for all interested.

The event will be hosted by UPM Plywood and features Sami Uuksulainen from UPM Plywood, Jari Mäkinen from Arctic Astronautics and Kevin Vainio from Huld. 

The presenters will unveil the prototype, explain the technical aspects of the satellite in detail and discuss the challenges of this unique space mission. They will also answer questions sent via channel's chat or social media.

Wooden satellite has opened eyes

The project for launching this first ever wooden satellite was revealed to the world in April and was welcomed with great enthusiasm. Wisa Woodsat will be launched into Earth’s orbit by the end of 2021 from the Mahia Peninsula launch complex in New Zealand. The satellite will be carried to polar orbit by Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle.

The nanosatellite is designed and built in collaboration by Arctic Astronautics, Huld and UPM Plywood. It will gather data on the behaviour and durability of plywood over an extended period in the harsh orbital conditions in order to assess the use of wood materials in space structures. The specially coated WISA®-Birch plywood will be monitored by a suite of sensors provided by the European Space Agency and two cameras. One of the cameras will be on a deployable boom.

In addition to testing plywood, the satellite will demonstrate accessible radio amateur satellite communication, host several secondary technology experiments, validate theKitsat education satellite platform in orbit, and popularize space technology to the public.

The countdown to Wisa Woodsat’s launch can be followed on the mission website and blog. Wisa Woodsat can be found in social media channels with the handle @wisawoodsat.

Teams are available for interviews

The media can see the satellite and interview the key persons at the UPM Headquarters in Helsinki on 12 May after the event. Remote interviews are also possible via teleconference.

Because of the COVID restrictions, the time slots are shared individually; please contact UPM media team at media@upm.com  or +358 40 588 3284 in advance.

For further information please contact:

Jari Mäkinen, tel +358 40 550 9198 / jari@kitsat.fi 
Ari Voutilainen, tel +358 40 671 9995 / ari.voutilainen@upm.com 
Matti Anttila, tel. +358 500 621 791 / matti.anttila@huld.io

Pictures for media: https://materialhub.upm.com/l/bH9_mdR7TTTB (new photos will be added on 12 May)