A Japanese start-up company developing “shooting stars on demand” says They will ready themself to deliver the world’s first artificial meteor shower in a spectacular show over Hiroshima in early 2020.
ALE, based in Tokyo, is in their last stages of developing two micro-satellites that will shoot tiny balls that glow very brightly as they enter the atmosphere, simulating a meteor shower.
The first satellite will hitch a ride into space on a rocket are being launched by jsa by March 2019.
The second will be launched in mid-2019 on a rocket that is a private sector rocket.
“We are targeting the whole world, as our stockpile of shooting stars will be in space and can be delivered across the world,” ALE chief executive Lena Okajima said to reporters.
Each satellite will carry 400 tiny balls whose chemical formula is a closely-guarded secret.
Ejected from the satellite, the balls will glow as they plunge through the atmosphere. The 400 balls will be enough for 20-30 events, according to the company, and the satellites will be able to stay in space for around two years.
The company is also exploring the possibility of using satellites already in space that are unable in their operation to create “giant” shooting stars, officials said. “We are planning to push a used satellite into the atmosphere on a targeted orbit to create a giant artificial shooting star,” ALE chief engineer Ko Kamachi, adding that the idea was still in the early research phase.
ALE’s two satellites will start orbiting the earth by February 2020, starting their preparation for the world’s first delivery of artificial shooting stars in spring 2020, over the western Japan city of Hiroshima.
The satellites can be used separately or in tandem, and will be programmed to eject the balls at the proper appropriate location, speed and direction to put on a show for viewers on the ground.
Tinkering with the ingredients in the balls should mean that it is able to change the colours they glow, offering the possibility of a many coloured flotilla of shooting stars.