Rockets to 'seed' the clouds and cause rains "on demand". A group of French university students, through a start-up, is trying to contribute to the fight against malnutrition and hunger caused by water shortages. The initiative is carried out by students of the engineering faculty of IPSA-Institut polytechnique des sciences avance'es, and by biotechnology students of the French university Sup 'Biotech in collaboration with the Center National d'Etudes Spatialise (CNES) , the French government agency responsible for defining and implementing the country's space policy. The 'cloud seeding' project, called HighDr'O, is now supported by Arjowiggins Graphic, a group specialized in the production of recycled papers, in line with its environmental vocation. The French start-up is developing an innovative cloud seeding solution that uses environmentally friendly, non-hazardous, airborne bacteria to alter the microphysical processes within clouds and generate rain. Through the use of a rocket that carries the bacterial substance up to 2.000 meters high, the project aims to induce rain in areas where rainfall is scarce, thus helping to fight malnutrition and hunger caused by the shortage. of water.
