The Epsilon-4 rocket carrying seven satellites launched successfully from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kimotsuki, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Friday.
One of the satellites sent to space by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will conduct experiments on creating artificial meteors in 2020.
The Friday morning launch was the first for an Epsilon-model solid-fuel rocket since January 2018. The 26-meter-long launch vehicle lifted off at 9:50 a.m. and all satellites were released as planned.
The satellite dealing with artificial meteors is run by a Tokyo-based space technology-related start-up called ALE Co. The microsatellite measures 60 x 60 x 80 centimeters and contains 1-centimeter-diameter special balls for creating meteors.
In spring of 2020, about 20 of these balls are scheduled to be released from the satellite at an altitude about 400 kilometers above the Earth. Upon entering the Earth's atmosphere at high velocity, the balls will burn up, emitting a flash of light to resemble shooting stars.
The artificial meteor show will be observable in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions, mainly in the Setouchi area.
In addition, JAXA has outsourced all the necessary work to develop and operate another microsatellite to Tokyo-based start-up Axelspace Corp., which will verify such technologies as high-speed communications.
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