‘Shooting star’ satellite jams up,

A controversial satellite launched from New Zealand that appeared destined to put on an artificial ‘‘shooting star’’ show over the Tokyo Olympics has malfunctioned and won’t work.

The satellite owned by Japanese company ALE was launched by Rocket Lab from the Ma¯ hia Peninsula in December and was designed to release 400 pellets to simulate meteorites or ‘‘shooting stars’’ as they reentered the atmosphere.

There was speculation the satellite would put on its show over the opening ceremony of the now-delayed Tokyo Olympic Games, with ALE saying in November that it would be ‘‘honoured’’ if it was selected as entertainment for the event.

But ALE said in a statement issued overnight on Tuesday that a device inside the satellite that was needed to transfer its ‘‘shooting stars’’ into position for launch was not moving properly.

‘‘This means that the launch action cannot initiate and it is not possible to transition to the release action,’’ it said.

The fault appeared to be due to ‘‘the specific effects of space’’.

‘‘In space, due to something called a high vacuum, frictional force is higher than on Earth and a sticking phenomenon can occur between materials.’’

ALE said the ALE-2 satellite would remain in orbit for two to three years ‘‘to collect data’’ before it fell back towards Earth and burnt up.

The company hopes to put on its first shooting-star show in 2023, using a new satellite.

ALE’s programme has attracted international controversy because of concerns over space junk, light pollution, and the use of the night sky as a platform for entertainment.

New Zealand Space Minister Phil Twyford said in November that officials took months to look into the relevant environmental and legal issues before the Government gave permission for ALE-2 to be launched from New Zealand.

ALE announced in March that it was working on a separate programme to help quickly de-orbit space junk using the Earth’s magnetic field and a device made from ‘‘carbon nanotubes, an electron source and a conductive tether’’.

The fault appears to have been caused by ‘‘space friction’’, ALE said.