A Japanese start-up will deliver "meteor showers" on request – LIFE



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A Japanese start-up developing "shooting stars on demand" is said to be ready to deliver the first artificial meteorite rain in the world in a spectacular show on Hiroshima in early 2020.

ALE, based in Tokyo, is in the last stage of the development of two microsatellites that will release tiny balls that shine brightly when they enter the atmosphere, simulating a meteor shower.

The first satellite will make a space tour on a rocket launched by the Japanese Space Agency in March 2019.

The second will be launched in mid-2019 on a private sector rocket.

"We are targeting the whole world because our stock of shooting stars will be in space and can be delivered around the world," FTA CEO, Lena Okajima, told reporters:

Each satellite will be able to carry 400 tiny balls whose chemical formula is a well-kept secret.

Ejected from the satellite, the balls will shine in the atmosphere. . The 400 balls will be enough for 20-30 events, depending on the company, and the satellites will be able to stay in space for about two years.

The company is also exploring the possibility of using satellites already in the space that are no longer operational to create "giant" shooting stars, officials said. "We plan to push a used satellite into the atmosphere in a targeted orbit to create a giant artificial shooting star," said ALE Chief Engineer, Ko Kamachi, adding that the The idea was still in the phase of basic research

. start orbiting the Earth by February 2020, in anticipation of the first delivery to the world of shooting stars in the spring of 2020, above the city of Hiroshima in western Japan.

Satellites can be used separately or in tandem with bullets in the right place, at the right speed and in the right direction to make a show for the spectators on the ground.

Tinkering with the ingredients in the balls should mean that it is possible to change the colors that they shine, offering the possibility colorful flotilla of shooting stars.

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