The sake business is reaching new heights.
A Japanese sake maker wants to make an alcoholic beverage in space. Asahi Shuzo, the company behind the popular sake brand Dassai, plans to blast ingredients to the International Space Station (ISS) in order to make a special brew.
If everything goes according to plan, the price of a bottle could be astronomical — just one single 100ml bottle would sell on Earth for $653,000.
To put it into perspective, a standard serving of sake is made of Japanese rice, water, yeast and koji (a type of mold) — is 80ml.
However, Souya Uetsuki, the brewer in charge of the project at Asahi Shuzo, told CNN that “there is no guarantee of 100% success for the fermentation tests.”
The change in gravity can affect how heat transfers in fluid, making the fermentation process in space different than it is on Earth.
Sake traditionally takes two months to take, going through a process of steaming, stirring and fermenting.
Asahi Shuzo paid Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for access to a part of the ISS developed by Japan, the Kibo experiment module, so they can conduct tests in a “special microgravity environment.”
The brand is known for producing expensive premium products that collectors search for and spend thousands of dollars on — but their space adventure is more than just a way to make a super rare bottle for collectors.
Uetsuki shared that the company hopes to gain an understanding of how fermentation works in space with the hopes of one-day producing sake on the moon.
“In a future where humans can freely travel between the moon and Earth, some will visit the moon as tourists. This project aims to create sake that can be enjoyed on the moon, allowing visitors to have delightful moments there,” he said.
He added that perhaps this could even lead to making fermented foods in space as well.
“Many Japanese foods, such as natto and miso, are fermented, and this technology could expand into these areas,” Uetsuki said.
The company is now developing space brewing equipment and is planning a launch date of late 2025.
This isn’t the first space-related alcoholic beverage to hit the market. Shooting Star Vodka launched a new meaning of “on the rocks” by infusing its brew with a meteorite discovered in 1977.
Shooting Star Vodka is the first Ultra-Premium vodka to be infused with space rock, giving it a special taste and texture.
