Tokyo, December 13th 2016
ALE, a Tokyo-based space entertainment startup, announced today that it has raised $6mm (\700mm, USDJPY=115) from angel investors. The company will use the funds to prepare for the launch of its Sky Canvas Project in 2018. The project aims to provide artificial meteor showers on demand.
ALE provides artificial meteors on demand by using a microsatellite packed with pellets and releasing the pellets from outer space to cause atmospheric re-entry. The meteors will be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye over the brightest city skies (e.g. Tokyo) and has the potential to reach audiences across an area 200 kilometers in diameter on the ground. ALE will use the funding to accelerate its product development and marketing efforts in preparation for the official launch of its artificial meteor project, the Sky Canvas Project, in 2018. ALE will provide its artificial meteors to corporations and governments for entertainment purposes, such as outdoor festivals, sports games, city promotions and theme parks.
“We are excited to showcase our artificial meteor project, the very first of many we plan on undertaking as a space entertainment company,” says Lena Okajima, ALE’s Founder and CEO. “As the first pioneers in the space entertainment field we aim to consistently further the frontiers of this industry while contributing to scientific research.”
Okajima, who has a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Tokyo, is equally committed to contributing to scientific research. ALE uses its artificial meteors as a vehicle to observe the upper atmosphere, to collect data on atmospheric re-entry of objects, and to better understand the nature of natural meteoroids. Led by Okajima and four research directors from academic institutions across Japan, ALE has begun publishing papers and presenting its findings from the project at space symposiums.
About ALE
ALE is a Tokyo-based space entertainment startup that provides meteor showers on demand for entertainment purposes while contributing to scientific research by using the artificial meteors as a vehicle for atmosphere and meteoroid observation. It was founded in 2011 by Lena Okajima, a serial entrepreneur with a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Tokyo. As the first dedicated space entertainment company in the world, ALE aims to launch its Sky Canvas Project in 2018 to premier its shooting star technology.
For additional information:
- Email：pr@star-ale.com
- +81-3-3248-1630
- ALE ウェブサイト：http://star-ale.com/
- https://vimeo.com/194308499