ALE-1

ALE-1 is no longer on orbit
ALE-1 is classified as:

Space & Earth Science

NORAD ID: 43938

Int'l Code: 2019-003G

Launch date: January 18, 2019
Source: Japan (JPN)
Launch site: KAGOSHIMA SPACE CENTER UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO (KSCUT)
Decay date: 2023-10-04

ALE-1 is the first of two satellites launching this year developed by Astro Live Experiences, a privately-funded Japanese venture that aimed to create artificial "meteor showers" by releasing half-inch (1-centimeter) pellets to re-enter the atmosphere. By early 2020, the 150-pound (68-kilogram) ALE-1 satellite planned to use a drag-inducing mechanism to maneuver to an orbit low enough to ensure the particles safely re-enter the atmosphere, and don’t become space junk. However one of the parts that was supposed to launch the particles is not moving properly and that it cannot get back to its designated position. This means that the launch action cannot initiate, and it is not possible to transition to the release action.