And then there's the card - is it too cheesy, or just nice enough?

 

Well, now there might be another option, thanks to three enterprising PhD researchers at the University of Leuven in Belgium - yes, really, they're a romantic bunch.

 

Maarten, Tjorven and Jeroen have launched writeitinthestars.com, a project to fund future research at their university.

 

Essentially¹, they're going to put people's paid-for messages on a cubesat, or miniature satellite, and send it up into orbit. It has its setbacks, but it's a nice enough gesture if you're stuck for a present to buy.

 

What happens?

 

"We take your love message into space, where it will pass over every part of the world for years to come. After 10 years, the satellite will enter the atmosphere and your message will turn into a beautiful shooting star."

 

What's the catch?

 

The launch of the cubesat isn't set to take place until next year... So your loved one will be waiting a long time before your message gets up into orbit. Let's hope you're still together by then.

 

You also won't be able to see it, of course, as the tiny object will be orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 500km and a speed of 27000 km/h.

 

How much does it cost?

 

At the moment the price of the messages is about €0.88 per character - or 65p for us Brits.

 

What will happen to the money?

 

The team at writeitinthestars.com is planning to fund 'lots of stuff' with the money they make from this project.

 

"Our goal is to fund space research at KU Leuven and we want to do plenty. For example, extra funding will allow us to purchase more components² for our Master thesis students."

 

What about old-fashioned romance?

 

The Valentine's message also comes with a print-out version of one of five unique designs that can be downloaded from writeitinthestars.com, so you can hand it to the person you love.

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