STARLIGHT CHALLENGE － ALE Co., Ltd.

The Path to Shooting Stars, Pioneered by Intellectual Curiosity.
The Third Challenge, Overcoming Previous Failures.

Our Dream: To move the world and spark smiles and contributing to science through artificial shooting stars.

Despite a setback in 2022 due to a release mechanism issue, our journey continues. We’ve turned every failure into an asset, meticulously analyzing and perfecting our technology.

While science rarely offers "100%" guarantees, our rigorous improvements have brought us as close as possible. This third mission will be the one. We are ready to light up the sky and create an experience the world will never forget.

Founder and CEO 、Dr.Lena OKAJIMA

The World's First Artificial Shooting Star.

Mission

Mission & Project Overview
Our Mission: Make Space Closer for all of us together.

ALE is creating new business opportunities in space. Our core project delivers artificial shooting stars as world-class entertainment while simultaneously contributing to scientific advancement.

The Mission

We aim to execute the world's first space entertainment mission by 2028. Our satellite, orbiting at an altitude of approximately 400 km, will release specially developed particles to create artificial shooting stars across the night sky.

Scientific Contribution

Unlike natural meteors, ALE’s artificial shooting stars travel more slowly. By observing them, we can collect vital data—such as atmospheric composition and wind speed—from the mesosphere (60–80 km altitude). ALE will provide this data to the scientific community, supporting research into the upper atmosphere, a region where data collection via aircraft or balloons remains difficult.

Note: Plans are as of February 4, 2026. Schedule is subject to change based on development progress.

A Pioneering Model for the Future of Science

Entertainment Only ALE Can Deliver

Captivating hearts with shooting stars, inspiring interest in science.

Inspiring the public while capturing vital scientific data.

Integrating diverse sciences to build a new social foundation.
Driving innovation through cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Empowering fundamental science through sustainable business.

Building a sustainable business to advance fundamental science.

An approach to understanding systems

Interacting with Earth’s atmosphere to decode dynamic behavior.
Powering a new cycle from entertainment to social contribution.

Capturing mesosphere data to pioneer new scientific frontiers.

Observing the unseen mesosphere to deepen our understanding of Earth.

Executing from a space perspective
Ethical scientific demonstration

Addressing ethical challenges in space development.
Minimizing environmental impact through rigorous safety.

NAGAREBOSHI Denki: A new electricity plan that turns your daily power into shooting stars.

"NAGAREBOSHI Denki" is a world-first electricity plan created through a partnership between ALE and au Energy & Life. By simply paying your monthly utility bills, you can directly support the realization of artificial shooting stars.
Subscribers receive unique benefits, providing opportunities to experience the front lines of space exploration and learn about the science and technology driving ALE’s mission.

Partner

Corporate Partner

Technology

ALE has conducted two previous artificial shooting star missions in January and December 2019. While both successfully achieved satellite launch and orbital entry, technical malfunctions in the on-board release mechanisms prevented the deployment of the shooting stars.

Our previous two missions shared a common release mechanism design. Following a malfunction, we conducted a rigorous root-cause analysis in collaboration with external experts, including JAXA.

We identified the cause as "cold welding" (metal adhesion in a vacuum) and have since re-engineered the mechanism for our third satellite. This improved design is specifically built to prevent past issues and ensure mission success.

SPECComing Soon
TECHNOLOGY: Artificial shooting stars are created by releasing custom-developed metal particles from a satellite, which then re-enter the atmosphere. These particles are precisely controlled in position, direction, and velocity from an orbit of approximately 400 km and ignite in the mesosphere at an altitude of 60–80 km. A key feature is their slower speed compared to natural meteors, providing a visible range of approximately 200 km per star. The upper atmosphere data obtained through these stars will serve as critical clues for understanding the mechanisms of climate change.

The meteor particles consist of harmless materials and are designed for environmental safety, with careful selection to prevent impact on space or Earth. As they burn up completely at an altitude of approximately 60–80 km, they do not become space debris nor pose any risk of falling to the ground.
SAFETY: The artificial shooting star project complies with the safety standards of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and other relevant organizations. Through coordination with the Japanese government, JAXA, and international agencies during previous missions, we have established rigorous safety criteria. We remain committed to conducting our missions safely by adhering to all international laws and our own established safety protocols.

Activation

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The Path to Shooting Stars, Pioneered by Intellectual Curiosity. The Third Challenge, Overcoming Previous Failures.