mining the moon for helium

for the Commercial Development of Space, to study how 3He could be mined from the Moon. Researchers at WCSAR produced several mining concepts including mobile miners that excavate and process lunar regolith and in-situ volatile release and capture approaches. A. Characteristics of Solar Wind Implanted Helium

Interlune, a stealth startup headed by ex-Blue Origin executives, is focused on mining the moon for a rare isotope of helium that could be used to scale quantum computing and eventually even ...

"Helium-3 has no relevance for fusion," stresses Close to OpenMind; "Nothing has changed in the laws of physics since my 2007 article." Although the physicist believes it is possible for us to see the development of lunar mining, "there is no point in going to the Moon for helium-3 if your goal is to make fusion."

The material doesn't cost enough to even justify attempting to land on the moon. Maybe if it was million per liter. Where bringing back 10,000 liters back at a time through sending back through ...

Schmitt has numerous papers and books on the prospect of lunar development and helium-3 mining, and has worked closely with the group at the University of Wisconsin which is developing helium-3 fusion technologies. Yutu landed as part of the Chinese robotic lunar exploration program named Chang'e, after the mythical goddess of the Moon. Chang ...

That helium scarcity is now having an impact on the technological sectors in the U.S., and as a result, Interlune wants to mine helium-3 from the Moon and bring it …

Abstract: View Video Presentation: https://doi/10.2514/6.2021-4237.vid. This paper describes various methods and designs specifically proposed for mining …

Unlike Earth, which is protected by its magnetic field, the Moon has been bombarded with large quantities of Helium-3 by the solar wind. It is thought that this isotope could provide safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor, …

Seattle-based startup Interlune recently announced that it raised $15 million in funding as part of its plan to harvest and sell natural resources from the Moon. The company wants to initially ...

Scientists have known that Helium-3 exists on the moon for decades; in 1986 they estimated there could be around one million tons of it stored in lunar soil. However, according to China's state ...

As I researched lunar mining and articles about helium-3 fusion for the novel, I learned there is a consensus in the scientific community that helium-3 is a viable alternative.

Interlune Aims to Mine the Moon for Helium-3. The rare isotope can be used in fusion, quantum computing, medicine and more. Ned Potter. 25 Mar 2024. 4 min …

The mineral contains helium-3, ... China is upping its moon-mining efforts; the next mission, the Chang'e-7, will reportedly focus on the search for water near the moon's South Pole. It seems ...

By harvesting helium-3, which is rare and limited in supply on Earth, Interlune could help change that calculus by deriving value from resources on the moon. But many questions about the approach ...

The advantage of mining in space - whether its metals from the asteroids, ice from Saturn's rings, or Helium3 from the Moon - isn't to ship it back down to Earth.

The feasibility of recovering helium (He) from the Moon as a source of fusion energy on Earth is currently being studied at the University of Wisconsin. Part of this study is selection and evaluation of potential sites for lunar He mining. Selection and evaluation of potential mining sites are based on four salient findings by various investigators of …

Founded by former Blue Origin executives and an Apollo astronaut, Interlune says it intends to extract Helium-3 and return it to Earth. By Christian Davenport. March 13, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. EDT. An ...

One of the main resources coveted by major powers and located on the Moon is helium-3, an isotope that is known since 1988 to be useful for nuclear fusion. Technological and financial barriers are slowing down hopes of using lunar soil as a resource. However, efforts remains open-ended, particularly with massive investments in …

(For what it's worth, lunar helium-3 mining was featured in the 2009 sci-fi film "Moon." Meyerson emphasized that Interlune would take a "sustainable and responsible" approach to ...

The Moon''s regolith contains vast resources of helium-3, an ideal fuel for terrestrial fusion power systems. Development of plans for private sector investment in obtaining helium-3 and its by-products requires detailed definition of that isotope''s selenographic distribution. Please let us know if you find any discrepancies or inaccuracies ...

Abstract. This article addresses questions of U.S. international legal and space policy arising from current proposals of the U.S., Russia, China and India to establish national bases on the Moon, in part with the purpose of mining and bringing to Earth Helium-3 (He-3).

The helium-3 in the Apollo moon samples showed 20 parts per billion concentrations. At that concentration a 4.2 square mile area of the Moon would have to be mined to 10-foot depth to extract one ...

By harvesting helium-3, which is rare and limited in supply on Earth, Interlune could help change that calculus by deriving value from resources on the Moon. But many questions about the...

Mining the Moon. Lab experiments suggest that future fusion reactors could use helium-3 gathered from the moon. By. Mark Williams Pontin. August 23, 2007. At the 21st century's start, few would ...

Researchers at WCSAR produced several mining concepts including mobile miners that excavate and process lunar regolith and in-situ volatile release and capture approaches. …

Interlune, a new space startup founded by former Blue Origin employees Rob Meyerson and Gary Lai, is venturing into the ambitious realm of mining helium-3 on the Moon.Helium-3, a valuable isotope crucial for nuclear fusion, has long been discussed as a potential resource due to its abundance on the lunar surface, courtesy of solar wind …

Mining the Moon Interlune's key technology is a process to extract gas from the Moon. It won't be easy. While there's a lot of the stuff, perhaps 1 million metric tons, the helium-3 is spread across the lunar surface. The company will likely need to process dozens to hundreds of tons of lunar regolith to produce a single gram of helium-3.

On 13 March, a startup called Interlune announced that it hopes to mine the lunar regolith for helium-3. Schmitt is the company's co-founder and executive chairman. Helium-3 (or He-3) is a ...

That includes water — essential for human life and a source for fuel when broken down into hydrogen and oxygen — as well as rare earth minerals and helium-3, a potential source of energy.

Scientists say two fully-loaded Space Shuttle cargo bay's worth of Helium-3 — about 40 tonnes worth of the gas — could power the United States for a year at the current rate of energy consumption. Professor Ouyang Ziyuan, the chief scientist of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, recently said, the moon is "so rich" in Helium-3 ...