'Dragon Ball's Artificial Moon Will Soon Become A Reality

10/20/2018 06:09 pm EDT

The Dragon Ball franchise has debuted many fantastical powers and weapons over the years, and one of the most memorable is the Power Ball, or Artificial Moon weapon that helps Saiyans transform into their Great Ape form.

But no one expected that the Power Ball would make its way into the real world as China currently has plans to launch their own artificial moon in 2020.

To help light up the night sky, China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan plans to launch an artificial moon above the capital of the Sichuan province, Chengdu. China Daily reports that if this first launch is successful, then China wants to launch three similar objects into the sky beginning in 2020.

China Daily reports that the fake moon, "will have a reflective coating that can deflect sunlight back to Earth, similar to how the moon shines...essentially an illumination satellite designed to complement the moon at night, though it is predicted to be eight times brighter."

The artificial moon will orbit around 500 kilometers from the Earth, and is part of an initiative to conserve electricity use and harness energy from space. While it's not as fantastical as the Power Ball in the Dragon Ball franchise, it will essentially accomplish the same goal.

In Dragon Ball, Vegeta first uses it in the fight against Goku during the Saiyan saga. When he realizes that the Earth no longer has a moon (thanks to Piccolo blowing it up sometime before), he uses the Artificial Moon to transform into his Great Ape form. Luckily Goku and the others still manage to defeat him after this gambit, but it's one of the most memorable moments in the franchise.

Hopefully the launch of this artificial moon doesn't result in a Great Ape planet conquering.

Dragon Ball Super currently airs its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete, and available to stream on FunimationNOW, VRV, and Crunchyroll. The manga currently can be read for free thanks to Viz Media.

If you want to catch up with the English dub, the first 65 episodes of Dragon Ball Super are now available to stream on FunimationNOW, VRV, and available to purchase on Amazon Video as well. The 65 episodes span the full range of what has aired in the North America and covers the "Battle of Gods" arc, "Revival of F" arc, the "Universe 6" arc, and bringing the series right up to the climax of the "Future Trunks" arc. The series is also currently airing reruns weeknights on Adult Swim.

via China Daily

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