- Engineers in Scotland and Japan plan to launch Scotch whisky into orbit in 2028
- The mission will use CubeSats with whisky samples and raw ingredients in micro-containers
- Samples will age in space by contact with oak chips, mimicking barrel ageing on Earth
Engineers in Scotland and Japan are planning to launch Scotch whisky into orbit to study how the spirit ages in zero gravity, Sky News reported. The mission, scheduled for launch in 2028, will carry small satellite payloads containing raw ingredients alongside ageing samples. Rather than relying on controlled environments like the International Space Station (ISS), the experiment will expose the samples to the harsh conditions of space. According to the report, Dr Gilles Bailet of the University of Glasgow, said that many students have travelled from Scotland to Japan to help to co-design the "cubesat", which will contain the small whisky samples and ingredients.
Engineers designed a specialised micro-container system because standard oak barrels are too heavy and bulky for satellite transport. The scientists are planning to reproduce the barrel-ageing process in a small space by making the liquid spirits sit in contact with oak wood chips rather than traditional casks.
According to the report, the unfermented samples will go through chemical breakdown while in orbit, giving researchers insight into how weightlessness affects fluid dynamics and heat transfer.
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The sensors inside the CubeSat will track changes without Earth's gravity.
"We want to see what the effect of a space environment is on the ageing of the whisky," Dr Bailet said, as quoted by the media outlet.
"We've got the best people here in Scotland to be able to inform that, with centuries of experience, so we can bring this whisky experience into space."
The project combines Scottish distilling expertise with Japanese aerospace technology, and the distilleries from both regions plan to supply whisky samples for the mission.
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As per the report, the plan for the experiment, nicknamed "Space Puffin", is to launch the CubeSat in 2028 on a SpaceX supply mission to the ISS. After that, it will be deployed it into orbit from the Japanese module of the space station.
"We build our spacecraft to be able to get an environment which is better for the whisky, but this wood will breathe faster than on Earth," Dr Bailet added. "And so we are hoping that we'll be able to accelerate the ageing to be able to get something more interesting."
Engineers hope the experiment will uncover new chemical mechanisms behind flavour development. If successful, the findings could influence how terrestrial distilleries approach ageing and fermentation techniques back on Earth.
"We are really keen to be able to actually fly a full whisky-making system, with a full cask, if we're able to collaborate with investors or other people interested in it," Dr Bailet added.
"But it's totally in the realm of [possibility] to bring back something like a litre of whisky within the next three to five years."
