The company, which is aiming to launch its first satellite in the second half of 2017, outlines how the project works:

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.

Image for article titled A man-made meteor shower launched by satellite could open the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo
Image: Star-ALE

In company’s initial tests, they placed the particles (each reportedly costing $8,100 to produce) in “a vacuum chamber and blasted them with hot gases traveling at supersonic speeds, simulating atmospheric re-entry,” according to industrial design site Core77. Researchers found that, by using various materials, a range of colors were emitted:

Image for article titled A man-made meteor shower launched by satellite could open the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo
Image: Star-ALE

If successful, the display will be visible within a 62 mile (100 kilometer) radius. According to the company, that’s a potential audience of 30 million people in the greater Tokyo area.

Beyond man-made shooting stars, ALE’s goal is to generate a better understanding of how satellites that have outlived their missions and other waste in space can be safely burned up in the earth’s atmosphere.

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