Japan Airlines to launch lunar transport service, allowing items to be preserved for the future
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Using ispace landers, Mobius Ark will carry regional specialties and products representative of local businesses to the Moon’s surface.
PHOTO: ISPACE_INC/X
TOKYO – Japan Airlines (JAL) will launch a service to transport containers to the moon, the firm announced on May 26.
JAL will sell partitioned spaces within the containers to businesses and local governments, enabling them to pack and transport products, such as regional specialities, they wish to preserve for future generations.
This will be the world’s first lunar transport service operated by an airline, according to JAL. For the inaugural shipment, the company plans to load a special container onto a lunar lander to be launched in 2028 by the Tokyo-based start-up ispace.
The containers are 20cm wide and 20cm long and have a depth of 10cm. Pricing and other details will be determined later.
JAL will be responsible for developing a container resistant to the lunar environment and soliciting items to be included.
With growing interest in the moon within the space development sector, JAL aims to take the lead in lunar transport services.
“Together with companies and local governments, we want to transport items to the moon that will be preserved for the future, much like the ark,” said a JAL spokesperson. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
