H3 Rocket No. 7 Launch Success
The H3 rocket No. 7, carrying the space brewing equipment for the DASSAI MOON Project and raw materials for Dassai sake, successfully launched on Sunday, October 26.
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DASSAI Inc. launched the “DASSAI MOON Project” in 2024, aiming to construct the sake brewery on the moon and make DASSAI sake there to improve quality of life for future lunar habitation. Aiming for DASSAI production on the moon by 2050, the first step involves conducting the world's first sake trial fermentaion in space. This will take place within the microgravity environment of the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
For more detail, click here for the article2024
DASSAI MOON Project Launch
2025
As phase-1 of the DASSAI MOON Project, we try to make sake in outer space.
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2050
DASSAI made on the Moon
If human settlement on the moon becomes a reality in the 2040s, we believe alcoholic beverage
will become an essential
part of daily life, adding color to the long-term lunar experience. Grapes, the raw material for
wine, contain a high
water content, increasing their weight. In contrast, rice, the raw material for Sake, is
lightweight and thus easier to
transport to the moon.
In the future, we envision using rice and water believed to exist on the moon to brew DASSAI
right there on the lunar
surface. We hope DASSAI will become a part of daily life for those living on the moon.
As the first milestone, the “DASSAI MOON Project ~phase1~” will conduct brewing tests in the
ISS Kibo Japanese
Experiment Module, utilizing the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s Kibo Commercial
Utilization Program. Aiming
to achieve the world's first sake making in space in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries, Ltd., this project
seeks to demonstrate the concept of parallel multiple fermentation, a process unique to
Sake.
This mission will be launched to the ISS from Tanegashima using the domestically produced H3
rocket and HTV-X resupply
vehicle. Japanese astronauts are scheduled to perform the in-orbit operations. Furthermore,
centered around DASSAI and
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, this endeavor involves collaboration with various Japanese
institutions and companies in
development and ISS operations, making it a challenge undertaken with the combined
technological strength.
To demonstrate the concept of sake making on the moon, tests will be conducted in a
simulated lunar gravity environment
(1/6G) using the artificial gravity generator in the Cell Culture and
Bio-engineering Facility-Light (CBEF-L) installed
in the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module on the ISS.
From Earth, four raw materials for sake—rice, dried koji rice, dried yeast, and
water—along with a space-specific
brewing apparatus developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will be sent to the ISS.
The brewing apparatus is designed so
that when water is injected, all raw materials mix together and fermentation begins.
The latest brewing equipment to be installed on the ISS
The raw materials and brewing apparatus will be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center to the ISS around 10:58 a.m. on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. After arriving at the ISS, astronauts will set up the brewing apparatus and begin the experiment by adding water. Following the start of the experiment, ground control will monitor the automatic stirring and alcohol concentration levels. The goal is to reach an alcohol content of 15% over 10 days. The fermented mash will be frozen and stored in orbit, awaiting its return to Earth.
The frozen mash is scheduled to return from space in early 2026. After splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, it will be transported to DASSAI, thawed, and half of the mash will be pressed to produce 100ml of sake. This sake, named “DASSAI MOON - Space Brewing -,” will be sold for JPY 110 million (tax included) with proceeds donated to domestic space initiatives. The remaining half of the mash will serve as the world's first sample of mash brewed in space. It will undergo yeast analysis and various component analyses to contribute to future space development.
Soya UETSUKI, who is responsible for the project to ferment sake in space, majored in life
sciences during his postgraduate studies. "My research focused on a specific disease, and my
job was to understand the mechanisms behind it—why it develops—and to find the springboard
for developing treatments," Uetsuki explains.
Although he once considered a career in research, Uetsuki had an even bigger ambition—to
become the best in the world. "Becoming the top researcher in the world is no easy task," he
admits. "But if I worked at the DASSAI brewery, which is known for producing the best sake
in Japan, I thought I might be able to help create the best sake in the world. That's why I
decided to join the brewery as a kurabito (brewery worker)."
Uetsuki was assigned to lead this groundbreaking project because of his strong background in
understanding biological processes at a fundamental level. But after joining the project
three years ago, he quickly encountered a range of daunting challenges. "The International
Space Station, or ISS, is a completely confined space,"Uetsuki said, recalling the initial
challenges he and his team faced. "If something goes wrong during an experiment, no one can
go to help the astronauts. That means we have to prove to NASA, which has jurisdiction over
the ISS, that our experiment is 100% safe. Sake brewing has a long history, but there's no
data and knowledge about brewing in space. So we had to make a comprehensive list of all the
byproducts generated during the fermentation process and submit data to show that each one
of them met safety standards. Proving the safety of the experiment was our first major
hurdle."
Once the safety issues were resolved, Uetsuki was tasked with developing the experimental
equipment itself. "I am responsible for designing the experiment to be conducted inside the
ISS, while the actual equipment is being developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries. Mitsubishi has decades of experience in the space development business, so they
bring invaluable expertise to the project."
Since the ISS is in a microgravity environment, the experiment will start by simulating
lunar gravity—one-sixth of Earth’s gravity—using centrifugal force. "We’ll send ingredients
such as pre-steamed and dried rice (Yamada Nishiki) and dried koji mold from Earth to the
ISS. These ingredients will go into the equipment, and with the help of the astronauts,
water will be added to see if fermentation occurs. Since we will be using the ISS’s valuable
power and space, the equipment has to be as simple as possible. Even so, it will be equipped
with monitoring devices that will allow us to track fermentation data from Earth."
If the sake ferments to 15% alcohol content, that will demonstrate the potential for brewing
sake on the Moon. After the experiment, the fermented mixture will be frozen and brought
back to Earth, splashing down in the ocean aboard a recovery capsule. "Our simulations
suggest that fermentation should occur, but that’s just theoretical. Ultimately, we won’t
know until we try. That’s why this experiment is so important."
Uetsuki joined the DASSAI brewery with a dream of making the best sake in the world. If this
experiment succeeds, he will become the first sake brewer ever to make sake in space—a
unique way of realizing his dream of becoming the best in the world.
Chief Researcher, Innovation Lab, Manufacturing Division, DASSAI Inc.
Soya UETSUKI
The H3 rocket No. 7, carrying the space brewing equipment for the DASSAI MOON Project and raw materials for Dassai sake, successfully launched on Sunday, October 26.
The H3 Rocket No. 7, a new core rocket carrying the brewing equipment for DASSAI MOON and raw materials such as rice, was originally scheduled for launch from the Tanegashima Space Center on October 21, 2025. However, due to the forecast of deteriorating weather conditions on the launch day, the launch has been postponed.
Additionally, weather conditions are not expected to improve until at least October 23rd. Therefore, the new launch date will be on or after the 24th. JAXA will make a new announcement as soon as a schedule is finalized.
Official information from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is available here.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has decided to load the space brewing equipment and raw materials for DASSAI to be used in the DASSAI MOON Project onto the domestically developed new H3 rocket No. 7, scheduled for launch from Tanegashima on October 21, 2025. For transport to the International Space Station (ISS), the domestically developed new-generation HTV-X resupply spacecraft will be used for the first time in this launch. JAXA is currently coordinating with the aim of having Astronaut Yui conduct the brewing test inside the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module on the ISS.
Brewing Sake in Space: The First Step Toward Building a Brewery on the Moon
The prospect of human settlement on the Moon is becoming increasingly realistic. From NASA's Artemis Program to China's Chang'e Program, and even ventures from Japanese startups, efforts are underway to enable sustainable human activities on the lunar surface. We don't know exactly when, but one day in the future, towns may form on the Moon, and people may live there.
If people are going to live on the Moon, wouldn't life be better with delicious sake? After all, not everyone heading to the Moon will be stoic explorers. Many will want to relax and smile over a good drink—just like people like us on Earth.
That's why we want to start preparing now to brew sake on the Moon. With this in mind, our brewery has received approval from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to conduct a brewing experiment in the Kibo module on the International Space Station (ISS). The goal is to ferment sake in space and bring 200 milliliters back to Earth. Half of that will be analyzed for scientific purposes, while the other half will be made available to supporters of this project.
All proceeds from the sale of DASSAI MOON will be donated to support future space development initiatives in Japan.
Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the Moon, famously said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Our brewery is now taking its own first step into the future. Nothing would make us happier than to have you take that step with us.
DASSAI Inc. President and CEO
Kazuhiro SAKURAI