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Japan has just launched the first-ever wooden satellite to space.

The LignoSat cubesat was sent skyward by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday and arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Dragon supply ship the following day. The satellite will stay in orbit for about six months once it’s deployed from the ISS later this year.

Created by scientists at Kyoto University in partnership with homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry, each side of the cubesat measures a mere 4 inches (about 10 centimeters). It’s made of honoki, a type of magnolia tree native to Japan, and has been constructed using traditional Japanese techniques that forgo the use of screws or glue.

The idea behind the mission is to test the effectiveness of using wooden materials for satellites as a way to reduce space junk and protect the environment. When a satellite is decommissioned in low-Earth orbit, operators will try to dispose of it by burning it up in Earth’s atmosphere. But the large metal objects don’t always entirely disintegrate, with chunks of metal sometimes making it to the surface of our planet. Tiny metal particles can also end up in the environment.

Sensors aboard LignoSat will send back data that will allow scientists to learn about how well the wooden satellite is able to deal with the harsh conditions of space, which include huge fluctuations in temperature.

Digital Trends first reported on plans for the wooden satellite four years ago. Speaking to the BBC at the time, Takao Doi, a professor at Kyoto University and a former Japanese astronaut who has been to the ISS, said: “We’re very concerned with the fact that all the satellites which reenter the Earth’s atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years.”

Speaking more recently, Doi said that if a wooden satellite design is found to be a viable alternative to metal ones, the team behind LignoSat plans to pitch it to SpaceX.

Apple may soon be facing a hefty fine from the EU over its App Store policies. It would be the first time the iPhone maker will be penalized under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Apple to be the first company penalized under the EU’s DMA for its App Store policies

Apple was declared guilty of enforcing “steering” policies on its App Store by the EU earlier this year. The European Commission also started a new investigation into Apple’s lackluster support for alternative iOS marketplaces in Europe.

The EU alleged Apple is undermining alternative iOS app stores. However, Apple is to face a hefty fine under the EU’s DMA, Blomberg has reported. This would make Apple the first company to face financial penalties under the DMA.

The Commission is gearing up to levy the penalty after it found that Apple’s “anti-steering” practices harmed competition on the App Store. Simply put, the EU concluded Apple does not wholly support the concept of allowing developers to guide or point users to cheaper purchases outside the App Store. EU deemed this behavior illegal under the DMA back in March.

How much fine Apple may have to pay the EU?

Incidentally, it is not just Apple that is facing heat or steep fines from the EU. Other tech giants such as Google and Meta are also under scrutiny, and they are facing some very hefty fines.

Back when Spotify had complained to the EU, the latter had slapped a €1.84 billion (about $2 billion) fine on Apple over its App Store policies. Incidentally, Spotify’s complaint about Apple’s anti-steering practices predates the DMA.

Currently, Apple is facing fresh proceedings into the company’s support for alternative iOS and iPadOS app stores. The EU has objected to Apple’s Core Technology Fee, its eligibility requirements for developers, and also its outlook towards third-party accessories. Additionally, the EU continues to allege Apple hasn’t made it easy for iPhone users to switch to third-party marketplaces.

The DMA rules state companies can be charged up to 10 percent of annual global revenue and up to 20 percent for repeat offenses. This reportedly translates to a $38 billion fine. Apple is yet to comment on the development. However, Apple would most likely contest whatever amount the EU decides.

Sony announced that it will stop selling the Airpeak S1 camera drone. Sales of the product will end on March 31, 2025. Sony will also stop selling most of the drone’s accessories next year, but replacement batteries and propellers will be available until March 31, 2026. Inspections, repairs and software maintenance will continue through March 31, 2030.

The Airpeak S1 was initially introduced during a virtual presentation at CES in 2021. The drone was intended to capture high-definition footage with Sony’s full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens Alpha cameras. It could fly for 12 minutes with a camera attached and achieved a max flight speed of 55.9mph. While the high-end drone would set buyers back about $9,000 even before buying accessories, it had middling to flat-out negative reviews.

Metavrse, a 3D creation platform for the spatial web, has named Julie Smithson as president and CEO.

The Toronto, Canada-based company started out as a kind of metaverse shopping mall, where people would shop virtually for digital or real-world things.

A husband-and-wife team, Alan and Julie Smithson, started working on the company in 2015 amid the virtual reality craze and incorporated the company in the spring of 2016. They assembled a team and built an engine to run the mall on the web in 2020 and kept working on it. Alan Smithson served as CEO and he announced TheMall in 2022 with the hope of filling 100 floors of virtual retailers.

Now the company describes itself as focused on 3D creation for the spatial web, with a focus on XR, 3D and the metaverse. And the Smithsons are changing roles.

“Our mission is to make the metaverse creation experience as intuitive as possible,” said Julie Smithson, CEO of Metavrse, in a statement. “We are thrilled to unveil the next chapter of Metavrse. By combining AI with spatial web technologies, we are creating a platform that empowers users — regardless of their technical skill level to build immersive virtual worlds and experiences effortlessly.”

Before now, Julie Smithson had served as COO and cofounder. Now the team has delivered more than 200 3D projects for companies such as Microsoft, T-Mobile, Samsung, Wipro, JP Morgan, Mars-
Wrigley, Mastercard and more. She was recently named “Top 100 Women of the Future, 2024.”

Julie Smithson said the mission is to make the metaverse creation experience as intuitive as
possible, inspiring innovation and creativity across sectors like education, training, marketing,
retail, and entertainment.

As part of this transformation, Metavrse will soon relaunch its flagship platform, making it easier than ever for creators to develop and deploy immersive content entirely within their browsers. This shift eliminates the need for specialized hardware or software, offering users from all backgrounds the opportunity to shape the future of the spatial internet.

“As we drive technological innovation, our core focus is to empower creators to build and deliver
transformative experiences that reshape entire processes and industries,” she said. “At Metavrse, we are excited to unveil new opportunities for creators, educators, and marketers to explore the limitless potential of 3D creation.”