JAL presents HAKUTO Supermoon Viewing Flight

On November 14, Japan Airlines operated the "HAKUTO Supermoon Viewing Flight" to observe the "Supermoon," which came closer to Earth than it had in 68 years. The special flight, departing from and returning to Narita, was named Flight 8910 in honor of HAKUTO. A total of 112 people participated: 44 members of the general public selected through open recruitment, plus 68 elementary school students and their guardians from Miyagi and Kumamoto.

At approximately 12,000 meters above Sendai, the exceptionally large Supermoon floated above a sea of clouds. Within its pure white glow, one could almost make out the image of the white rabbit (HAKUTO). Both children and parents gazed intently, frequently snapping photos with their smartphones and cameras.

HAKUTO is Japan's sole lunar exploration team competing in the international "Google Lunar XPRIZE" race, operated by ispace. Japan Airlines (JAL) signed a corporate agreement with HAKUTO in October 2015, prompted by the shared use of carbon fiber in both the lunar rover and JAL's Boeing 787 aircraft.

In the boarding lounge, HAKUTO's flight model was displayed, and visitors could experience piloting a pre-flight model. Children were already excited before boarding, making origami airplanes and more.

Inside the aircraft, HAKUTO representative Takeshi Hakamada gave a lecture titled "Making 'Like a Dream' a Reality." During his talk, Hakamada told the children, "Don't limit your dreams to job titles or specific names," encouraging them to broaden their horizons when dreaming.

After the lecture, the children wrote their dreams on paper airplanes they folded themselves. Upon arrival at Narita Airport, they flew these paper airplanes carrying their dreams in the hangar, enjoying themselves. Children whose names contained kanji characters related to space or the sky also shared their dreams.

JAL President Yoshiharu Ueki made a "Sky Education" declaration on this flight. It aims to provide opportunities for children to think about their own future and the future of Japan and the world through airplanes and interaction. This event also served as the first installment of Sky Education, an experiential program encouraging children to consider the future of the Earth through the environment and space. The company plans to implement various Sky Education activities targeting one million people by 2020.