Introduction: A historic brewing ambition
Japan is poised to make history again—not with a new whiskey or wine, but with sake. The DASSAI MOON Project represents the world’s first deliberate test brewing of sake in space. A collaboration between DASSAI Inc., the Iwakuni-based sake producer, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), the project envisions deploying purpose-built space brewing equipment to the International Space Station (ISS) for a moon-analog fermentation experiment.
What makes the project unique
Traditional sake is crafted through a precise sequence of rice preparation, koji fermentation, and multiple parallel fermentations. The DASSAI MOON Project seeks to adapt this process to a microgravity and lunar-gravity-inspired environment within the Japanese experiment module Kibo on the ISS. By simulating lunar gravity during Phase 1 and conducting controlled fermentation, the team hopes to study how the unique conditions influence yeast behavior, texture, aroma, and overall quality of the brew.
How the mission unfolds
The planning hinges on an all-Japanese collaboration. Space-brewed ingredients—rice, malt, yeast, and water—will be loaded into a purpose-built brewing system developed by MHI. Launch details place the Tanegashima Space Center as the staging point, with the H3 rocket as the carrier. The accompanying HTV-X cargo spacecraft will convey the equipment and supplies to the ISS, marking its first demonstration flight. The mission foresees a brewing operation aboard the ISS’s Kibo module, conducted by astronaut Kimiya Yui, in a test that could open avenues for long-duration life-support systems and culinary experiments in space.
Phase 1: Testing in a lunar-gravity environment
Phase 1 is designed as a moon-gravity simulation, a critical component for understanding how space-grown microbes perform under altered gravity. The project’s choice of Japanese leadership and its intention to push beyond Earth’s gravity underline ambitions that stretch from science to everyday life on future space habitats. If successful, it could lead to further explorations of food security and luxury beverages in space settlements, and inform brewing science in environments beyond Earth.
Why this matters beyond novelty
At a time when space exploration is expanding to longer missions and potential lunar bases, the DASSAI MOON Project touches on practical and cultural questions. How will fermentation chemistry behave in microgravity? Can space-friendly processes yield products that meet or even surpass Earth-bound standards? The endeavor also spotlights Japan’s space industry capability, illustrating how industry, academia, and government entities collaborate on ambitious, high-stakes projects that blend science, technology, and traditional craft.
What’s next
With launch scheduled for October 21, 2025, the mission will proceed step by step—from loading and launch at Tanegashima, to the HTV-X transfer to the ISS, to the Kibo-based brewing test. Observers, enthusiasts, and scholars alike will be watching how the space environment impacts the integrity and flavor of a product steeped in centuries of Japanese tradition. The DASSAI MOON Project is a bold statement about how far human curiosity can push not only exploration but also the culinary arts in space.
