Japan space firm aims to preserve world’s languages by planting disc on moon

The disc, made of nano-engraved nickel plate, will contain 275 versions of Unesco’s constitution alongside other cultural ‘treasures’
The UN’s cultural agency came up with the idea to preserve the planet’s languages out of concern that a catastrophe could cause them to disappear

Japan

Julian Ryall

Published: 4:30pm, 27 May 2024

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A disc containing a message in 275 languages is set to be deposited on the moon later this year by a Japanese spacecraft, to act as a repository of humanity’s linguistic diversity should a catastrophe befall Earth.

Paris-based UN cultural agency Unesco announced the project with Japan’s ispace Inc. – a private lunar robotic exploration company that is scheduled to launch its Hakuto-R Mission 2 this winter – earlier this month.

“Language serves as the connective tissue of humanity, facilitating interaction, collaboration and shaping our perceptions of the world,” Unesco said in a statement on its website. “Its preservation in all its diversity is essential to safeguarding human identity.”

The disc, made of nano-engraved nickel plate, will contain 275 versions of the 362-word preamble to Unesco’s constitution, which calls for the “wide diffusion of cultures”, and “the education of humanity for justice and liberty and peace”.

“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed,” begins the preamble, which was agreed upon in the immediate aftermath of World War II.

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Japanese company ispace loses contact with moon lander after suspected crash

The disc will also contain a selection of cultural “treasures”, Unesco said, including Le Petit Prince by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery – one of the world’s most translated books. It will also hold images of 100 paintings from diverse cultural backgrounds and historical eras.

Unesco is acting to preserve the planet’s languages out of concern that some could disappear entirely as a result of natural disasters, climate change or other man-made crises such as global conflict.

The company ispace Inc., whose motto is “Expand our planet. Expand our future”, was founded in 2010 and is developing robotic spacecraft and other advanced technologies to conduct exploration and transport missions for national space agencies and the private sector.

The first Hakuto-R mission, launched in December 2022, was designed to put a rover on the lunar surface as a demonstration of the company’s technology. Communication with the lander was lost in the final seconds of the descent to the surface, in April last year. It’s believed that a loss of power during the approach stage led to a rapid descent and a hard landing that damaged the lander.

The company has already outlined plans for another seven missions, including a 2026 project to put a lander on the far side of the moon, and establish itself as a provider of high-frequency, cost-effective lunar transport. A planned tenth mission will lay the groundwork for the development of water resources on the surface of the moon, it says.

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