Interlune and Astrolab Partner to Mine the Moon
Natural resources company Interlune and space logistics firm Astrolab have announced a collaboration to develop technology for harvesting resources on the Moon. The partnership has already completed a concept study to integrate excavation hardware onto Astrolab's FLEX rover, with hardware testing planned in Houston.
Interlune is led by former Blue Origin president Rob Meyerson and was co-founded by Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt. The company emerged from stealth in March 2024 with the goal of becoming the first to harvest and commercialize resources from the Moon for use on Earth. The primary resource Interlune aims to extract is Helium-3, an isotope deposited on the lunar surface by solar winds. This resource has potential applications in future fusion reactors for safer nuclear energy, as well as in quantum computing, national security, and medical imaging. Harvesting Helium-3 is a significant challenge, as it exists in concentrations of only 10 to 20 parts per billion in the lunar soil, known as regolith. This necessitates the excavation and processing of hundreds of millions of tons of regolith to extract a single ton of the isotope. Astrolab's Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover is a key component of the mission, designed to carry payloads of up to 1,500 kg. The FLEX rover, which can be operated remotely or by a crew of two astronauts, has been selected by NASA to support future Artemis missions. Astrolab aims to send its first FLEX rover to the Moon as early as late 2026 aboard a SpaceX Starship. Interlune is planning a prospecting mission in 2027 to analyze dirt samples, with the goal of deploying a pilot mining plant by 2029. To finance its ambitious plans, Interlune has raised $18 million in funding. This capital is dedicated to developing the core technologies needed for its novel excavation and processing of lunar soil.
