Startup Wins $6.9M NASA Contract to Mine Moon Helium-3

Interlune is heading to the moon with a mission that sounds like science fiction but could change life on Earth.

The startup just won a $6.9 million NASA contract to develop technology that extracts helium-3, a rare isotope, directly from lunar soil. It's the first time anyone will attempt to harvest solar wind volatiles from the moon's surface.

The payload, called Prospect Moon, works like a tiny robotic scientist. A mechanical arm will scoop moon dust into the instrument, then heat it up to measure what gases escape. Other samples will be crushed, sorted, and shaken to test different extraction methods.

"We'll calibrate the processes that we eventually want to use on the moon for a full-scale resource extraction operation," said Rob Meyerson, Interlune's chief executive. The data will help them build larger equipment for real mining operations.

The technology will be ready to launch on a lunar lander by 2028. Interlune is eyeing several mission options, preferring locations near the moon's equator where helium-3 concentrations run higher.

This isn't Interlune's first lunar adventure. The company already delivered a camera to Astrolab's FLIP rover launching later this year. That camera will scout for ilmenite, a mineral that indicates where helium-3 hides beneath the surface.

The Ripple Effect

The demand for helium-3 is already real and growing fast. Interlune has secured about $500 million in contracts from the Department of Energy and quantum computing companies like Maybell Quantum and Bluefors.

These contracts matter because helium-3 could revolutionize multiple industries. Quantum computers need it to operate at ultra-cold temperatures. Future fusion reactors could use it for clean energy without radioactive waste.

Some contracts require deliveries starting in 2028, before lunar mining begins. Interlune is working on a clever solution: extracting trace amounts of helium-3 from commercial-grade helium already available on Earth.

Full-scale lunar operations won't start until the early 2030s. But the company plans to leverage NASA's proposed lunar base infrastructure, even though they'll operate in different regions of the moon.

"The moon base is going to be essential to us," Meyerson said. "We can serve as a commercial partner and commercial use case for anyone building infrastructure on the moon."

What started as a bold idea is becoming a blueprint for space commerce that benefits life back home.