Sake Mash Brewed Aboard ISS Returns to Japan; Final Product Already Sold for ¥100 Million

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:27 JST, March 7, 2026

OSAKA — A batch of moromi fermentation sake mash brewed aboard the International Space Station arrived in Japan on Friday.

The moromi, which was created in the Kibo Japanese experiment module aboard the ISS, arrived in the evening at Kansai Airport from Los Angeles following its return to Earth on Feb. 27.

Alcohol was reportedly detected in the mash, and its maker, Dassai Inc. of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, now aims to turn it into refined sake.

The company, which paid a fee to use Kibo, aims to usher in a future where people can enjoy sake even after moving to the moon.

The project began in October 2025, when a brewing device containing rice, koji mold and yeast was launched via rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center. Once aboard Kibo, astronauts began the brewing process.

The mash was kept frozen until it splashed down off the coast of Los Angeles, where it was recovered and then transported to Japan.

According to the company, the mash is expected to yield about 100 milliliters of refined sake, which has already been sold for about ¥100 million. The product will be delivered to the buyer once the brewing process is complete.

“We are now standing at the starting line for making sake on the moon,” Dassai Chairman Hiroshi Sakurai said. “Sake will surely even be able to enrich lives in outer space.”