A startup wants to offer shooting stars on demand

The Japanese startup ALE will organize a shower of shooting stars over the city of Hiroshima

Among the most beautiful natural wonders of the world, shooting stars will no longer be solely the responsibility of nature. The Japanese startup ALE leaves nothing to chance and has developed a technology that can provide artificial meteors on demand.

" Imagine a future where you can use our meteors for fireworks, a proposal in marriage or the opening of an event "says Shinsuke Abe, research director at ALE and professor of aerospace engineering at Nihon University.

Specifically, the company ALE has built two microsatellites that will be sent into orbit, about 500 km altitude, in the thermosphere. Once in position, these satellites will eject small balls that will enter the atmosphere and disintegrate like natural meteors, creating a very strong light that can be seen by millions of people.

The satellites will be sent next year into orbit, the first will be taken by the Japan Space Agency (Jaxa), the second by a private company. Each satellite will ship 400 bales with the chemical composition kept secret. ALE explains that the balls will shine in different colors depending on the chemical composition of these. These two satellites will be used to animate between 20 and 30 events.

The first test will take place above the city of Hiroshima, for its mild weather and geography. The CEO of ALE, Lena Okajima, nevertheless sees greater: " We are targeting the whole world, since our stock of shooting stars will be in space and can be distributed everywhere."