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Japanese Start-Up To Offer ‘Shooting Stars’ Services On Demand; First Artificial Meteor Shower In Tokyo By 2020
A meteor streaks across the night sky during the Geminid Meteor Shower over Harishchandra Fort on December 15, 2018 in Ahmednagar. (Photo by Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
On Friday, January 18, a rocket carrying a satellite to deliver the world’s first artificial meteor shower took off, scientists in Japan said. The idea is to provide shooting stars on demand as a service, says a start-up based in Tokyo. Hence, the micro-satellite is being used.
The artificial meteor shower will be simulated when the satellite releases tiny balls that glow bright in the atmosphere. The rocket used was Epsilon-4 and has been launched from the Uchinoura space centre by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
A total of seven ultra-small satellites were launched into orbit among which one has reached successfully. The start-up, ALE Co.Ltd, plans the first show in 2020. The chemical composition of the shower is being kept secret by the company and the satellites are carrying enough that will sustain about 30 events.
The skies, if clear, will display the vibrant colours of the artificial meteor shower and can be witnessed by millions, The New Indian Express quoted ALE chief executive Lena Okajima as saying.
The price for the shower, however, has not been made public as yet.
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