Family Mart and Japan Airlines join the Shooting Star Challenge project as official partners.ALE is a Japan-based space entertainment startup with a mission to promote science through entertainment. ALE creates artificial shooting stars by sending microsatellites full of shooting star pellets to space and releasing the pellets, which enter the atmosphere and burn as shooting stars visible to the naked eye.ALE’s technology is currently in development and the first satellite is scheduled to be launched in late 2018 to 2019. The Shooting Star Challenge is the official project name of this undertaking and will follow ALE’s journey as it completes the satellite, launches the satellite on a rocket in late 2018 to early 2019, and becomes the first company to create artificial shooting stars in the history of mankind in 2019. This first showcase will be delivered over the sky of the Setouchi Region (including the cities of Hiroshima, Iwakuni, Takamatsu, and Matsuyama) and can be viewed by audience over an area 200 kilometers in diameter.
In the Shooting Star Challenge, a satellite will be placed in orbit about 500 kilometers (310 miles) above Australia. From there it will release pellets toward Japan which will take about 15 minutes to fall to a height of 60 kilometers (37 miles) above Setouchi and begin to burn. This part of Hiroshima was chosen as the test site for its popularity, nice scenery, and high rate of clear skies.A single 60-centimeter (23-inch) satellite is expected to hold from 300 to 400 meteor pellets which is hoped to last until the end of the craft’s one year life in orbit. In addition to providing a pyrotechnic display like no other, the project will also gather valuable data on physics in the upper atmosphere.
We will launch a satellite loaded with about five hundred to a thousand "source particles" that become ingredients for a shooting star. When the satellite stabilizes in orbit, we will discharge the particles using a specially designed device on board. The particles will travel about one-thirds of the way around the Earth and enter the atmosphere. It will then begin plasma emission and become a shooting star.
Edit 2: On whose periodic table can you find "natrium"? Is it in the same column as unobtanium?
Ale plans to sign a contract with SpaceX in a few months, according to Okajima. The Hawthorne, California-based company declined to comment on its launch schedule or customers' contracts.... Ale's satellite will weigh 50 to 60 kilograms. All told, Ale needs 1 billion yen for its first launch.To pay for that, Okajima is seeking backers for Ale, named after her favorite style of beer. She's seeking funding from individual investors and also considering corporate sponsors.
If everything works out, the night sky over Hiroshima, Japan, will fill with the graceful arcs of blue, green, and orange shooting stars sometime in the summer of 2019.The fireworks will come courtesy of a satellite some 220 miles high, owned by the world’s first “aerospace entertainment” firm, Astro Live Experiences, or ALE....ALE is building two small microsatellites, the first scheduled for launch from Japan in December. Each 150-pound, $3 million spacecraft will carry 300 to 400 shooting star particles and have enough propellant to last 27 months in orbit before burning up in the atmosphere.
A slightly biased article by a reporter (or editor) that apparently doesn't like rich people At least it gives a date for the first launch.[BuzzFeed] Rich People Will Soon Be Able To Buy Fake Meteor Showers On DemandQuoteIf everything works out, the night sky over Hiroshima, Japan, will fill with the graceful arcs of blue, green, and orange shooting stars sometime in the summer of 2019.The fireworks will come courtesy of a satellite some 220 miles high, owned by the world’s first “aerospace entertainment” firm, Astro Live Experiences, or ALE....ALE is building two small microsatellites, the first scheduled for launch from Japan in December. Each 150-pound, $3 million spacecraft will carry 300 to 400 shooting star particles and have enough propellant to last 27 months in orbit before burning up in the atmosphere.
Quote from: Comga on 05/24/2016 05:23 am Edit 2: On whose periodic table can you find "natrium"? The chemical symbol for Sodium is Na because the old (Latin) name for it is Natrium. Cheers, Martin
Edit 2: On whose periodic table can you find "natrium"?
An article from a mainstream news outlet that actually doesn't suck:http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190102-the-plan-to-make-artificial-meteor-showers
https://star-ale.com/news/2020/04/20/000161.htmlThere is a part sticking in the deployment mechanism of ALE's second satellite, so it can't release the particles to create the shooting stars. They think it may have more friction than they expected in hard vacuum, and will use a better vacuum chamber for testing next time. Planning to try again with third satellite with launch in 2022 and operation in 2023.(The above is a summary of the Google translation, if any Japanese speakers want to do a better job it would be welcome.)
ALE Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Reina Okajima, ALE), whose mission is to “connect science to society and make the universe into a cultural sphere,” was launched on December 6, 2019. It was judged that the artificial meteor could not be realized with the second satellite because the parts for loading the meteor source (grains that are the source of the artificial meteor) of the second satellite (hereinafter, second aircraft) are not operating normally. The world's first artificial shooting star was planned to be realized in 2020 by using Unit 2, but we are aiming to achieve it in the early 2023 by using the third satellite under development (hereinafter, Unit 3). I will.Status of Unit 2Unit 2 sends the particles, which are the source of artificial shooting stars, from the hangar (①) to the discharge mechanism (inside ①), and accelerates them in the cylinder to discharge them (②). The particles emitted from Unit 2 in orbit re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and emit light, which makes them appear as shooting stars on the ground.However, even if an operation command is sent from the ground station to Unit 2, particles are not sent to the discharge mechanism. As a result of detailed verification, it was found that one of the parts for sending out the grain was difficult to move and could not return to the predetermined position. As a result, the sending operation cannot be started and the discharging operation cannot be started.The cause of this malfunction is thought to be the effect unique to outer space. In outer space, due to the high degree of vacuum called ultra-high vacuum, frictional force may increase from the ground and materials may stick to each other. As a result of the verification, it was concluded that the effect peculiar to outer space is larger than expected and that the force required for operation is likely to exceed the design value.We have confirmed that all functions and devices (*) other than the above are operating normally.* [Bus] Communication, high-accuracy attitude control, redundant function of satellite position and direction.[Mission part] On-board equipment such as a redundant determination function for release, valves, pistons, and sensors.■ Countermeasures for development after Unit 3As a facility for simulating a space environment and testing artificial satellites, we have introduced a device that can reproduce a higher vacuum state than what we have been using so far, enabling more detailed verification before launch. We have also strengthened our internal development system. By increasing the number of experts in various fields such as mechanical, electrical, and software, as well as the addition of artificial satellite engineers and satellite ground system engineers who have been involved in space development for many years, higher quality design and verification are possible.In addition, as with the first and second units, we will proceed with the development of the artificial satellite bus section in collaboration with Tohoku University, which has a wealth of knowledge.In this way, we will strengthen our in-house facilities and development system, and make use of the experience and expertise of outside companies to advance future satellite development with a more robust system.Although Unit 2 did not realize the artificial shooting star, a series of verifications in satellite development / launch / operation confirmed that the satellite design policy was correct, and at the same time, accumulated know-how on satellite launch and operation. By doing so, I think that we have approached the solid success of the artificial shooting star at Unit 3.Realization of artificial shooting starWe aim to realize the world's first artificial shooting star in 2023 by using Unit 3, which is under development. The development schedule is as follows.◇ Development schedule By 2021: Completion of EM (engineering model) Mid 2022: Completion of FM (flight model)Late 2022: Launch early 2023: Commercial operation started* The timing is currently planned.Comment from Rena Okajima, President and CEOThank you for always supporting ALE.We are disappointed that we cannot meet the expectations of everyone who has been looking forward to the realization of an artificial shooting star within 2020. This time, one component of the satellite did not work well, but we were able to confirm that everything else was operating normally. “It was just one step further!” I once again felt the rigor of challenging the universe. Because there are few bright topics, I wanted to realize a shooting star that everyone can see from home.Our passion for artificial shooting stars has not changed. We would like to utilize the knowledge gained in the development of Unit 3 to realize an artificial shooting star in early 2023. Next time I will definitely make it successful. We look forward to your continued support.
