Firms Team Up for Moon Mining Tech

Interlune is spearheaded by a team with deep space exploration experience, including former Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson, Chief Architect Gary Lai, and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt. The company has secured $18 million in funding to develop technology for mining the Moon. The primary target for this venture is Helium-3, an isotope that is extremely rare on Earth but thought to be abundant on the Moon, deposited by solar winds over billions of years. This resource has potential applications in quantum computing, medical imaging, national security, and as a fuel for nuclear fusion. Interlune's proprietary harvester is designed to be smaller, lighter, and require ten times less power than other concepts. The process involves excavating lunar regolith, sorting and extracting the gas, and then depositing the processed soil back on the surface, leaving it looking like a tilled field. Astrolab's FLEX rover is a key component, designed to support logistics, construction, and resource utilization. It can carry two astronauts, be operated remotely, and transport modular payloads up to 1600 kg. The company was selected by NASA to help develop the next-generation Lunar Terrain Vehicle for the Artemis program. The collaboration is part of a growing commercial push for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon, with other companies like ispace and Astrobotic also developing lunar mining technologies. This initiative is seen as crucial for establishing a sustainable human presence beyond Earth. Interlune is aiming for a resource development mission in 2027 to validate Helium-3 concentrations, followed by a pilot plant on the Moon in 2029 to begin extraction. The company has agreements to begin supplying lunar Helium-3 to customers as early as 2029.