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Mitsuteru Sugiki, President of Astro, introduces the personal satellite. (Photo: AFP) |
In the past, people often placed messages in bottles and let them float down the river. Today, Japan is making it possible for individuals to purchase personal satellites to send loving messages into space.
Astro Research Company announced that for $880,000, users will have the opportunity to own a satellite orbiting Earth at an altitude of 600 km to 800 km above sea level.
This satellite will pass over Japan twice a day, and customers will be notified via mobile phone or email to track it.
“Until now, people have thought of satellites as something luxurious that they wouldn’t dare to dream about,” said Ichiro Koike, CEO of Astro. “But space always holds many secrets, and people often feel romantic when thinking about it. We just want ordinary people to be able to ‘personalize’ space.”
The satellite from Astro weighs 20 kg and contains a small aluminum cube to preserve the user’s messages for about 20 to 30 years before it falls and burns up in space.
T.N.
