Venture Aims to Harvest Moon Resources
Natural resources company Interlune and space logistics firm Astrolab are collaborating on technology to harvest resources and build infrastructure on the Moon. The companies have already completed a concept study to integrate lunar excavation hardware onto Astrolab's FLEX rover and are now planning hardware tests.
Interlune is spearheaded by a team with deep space exploration experience, including former Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt. The company has raised $18 million in funding to pioneer the harvesting of lunar resources. Their primary initial target is Helium-3, an isotope abundant on the Moon but scarce on Earth. Helium-3 is a significant resource due to its potential use in quantum computing, medical imaging, and as a fuel for future nuclear fusion reactors that would not produce radioactive waste. This scarcity on Earth drives a high market price, with estimates as high as $20 million per kilogram. Interlune has already secured purchase agreements for Helium-3 with the U.S. Department of Energy and quantum computing infrastructure company Maybell Quantum. The company's plan includes a prospecting mission with a multispectral camera to identify Helium-3 deposits, followed by a pilot harvesting plant on the Moon by 2029. They anticipate beginning full-scale operations and sales in the early 2030s. To handle the lunar regolith, Interlune has partnered with industrial equipment manufacturer Vermeer to develop a full-scale excavator prototype designed to process 100 metric tons of lunar soil per hour. Astrolab's FLEX rover is a key component of this effort, designed to be a versatile lunar logistics vehicle. Capable of carrying over two tons, it can transport astronauts or be operated remotely, and its robotic arm can handle a modular cargo system. Astrolab has an agreement with SpaceX to launch a FLEX rover on a Starship mission as early as mid-2026. The endeavor to mine lunar resources is not without competition. Other private companies like the Japanese firm iSpace and U.S.-based Moon Express are also developing technologies for lunar resource extraction. This emerging industry is often referred to as a "galactic gold rush," with various startups targeting different resources, from water ice to platinum-group metals on asteroids. Beyond commercial ventures, several nations have their sights set on lunar resources. China has a program to establish an international lunar research station in the 2030s with the goal of utilizing these resources. Similarly, space agencies in Europe, Russia, and India are planning missions to explore and potentially exploit lunar materials, indicating a growing international interest in the cislunar economy. The technological foundation of Interlune's plan is a proprietary four-step process: excavating, sorting, extracting, and separating. The company is developing a novel extraction method that reportedly requires ten times less power than traditional heat-based techniques. This system is designed for fully robotic and autonomous operation, with remote monitoring from Earth.
