US firm’s lunar excavator plans to suck helium-3 from moon and supply it to Earth
Lunar helium-3 can take our clean energy and quantum computing goals to the next level. Here’s how it might be brought to Earth.
What if the future of clean energy and even the next leap in quantum computing relies on a gas that’s nearly absent on Earth but relatively abundant on the moon?
That gas is helium-3, and for the first time in history, a private company, Interlune, has not only figured out how to extract it from lunar soil but has also sold it twice. This Seattle-based startup, founded by former Blue Origin president Rob Meyerson, is opening a new chapter in space resource utilization.
Interlune has developed a prototype machine for extracting helium-3 from lunar soil and has already signed two sales agreements: one with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and another with quantum technology company Maybell Quantum.
The company claims it will begin supplying helium-3 to its clients by 2029, and each kilogram (~2.2 lbs) will cost a whopping US$20 million. One kilogram of helium-3 occupies a volume of roughly 7,400 liters of the gas when measured at standard temperature and pressure.