"Helium-3, a stable isotope of helium, is a highly sought-after resource, as it could fuel nuclear power reactors either on the Moon or back home, or help cool quantum computers. It's extremely rare on Earth, but more common on the Moon, thanks to solar winds bombarding its unprotected surface with the particles, making it a motivating factor for the private industry to reach the lunar surface."
"The United States and China are caught in a race to return to the Moon. The two superpowers are hoping to reach the lunar surface by 2028 and 2030, respectively, in a rivalry that could have sweeping geopolitical implications. And it's not just a matter of furthering our scientific understanding of our closest cosmic neighbor, either - companies are clamoring to extract highly valuable resources from the Moon,"
"Interlune has a tough task ahead of it to prove that harvesting helium-3 on the Moon is economically feasible. For one, the company's excavators may have to chew through millions of tons of regolith to harvest enough of the isotope, as Forbes reported last month, as it's not exactly abundant. Getting the required equipment to the Moon could prove to be astronomically expensive, making it a high-risk bet."
The United States aims to return humans to the lunar surface by 2028 and China aims for 2030, creating a strategic race with geopolitical implications. Private firms are planning to harvest lunar resources, with Interlune agreeing to sell up to ten thousand liters of helium-3 to Bluefors in a deal potentially worth $300 million. Helium-3 is rare on Earth but more abundant on the Moon and could fuel nuclear reactors or cool quantum computers. Extraction would require processing millions of tons of regolith and transporting heavy equipment to the Moon, raising high costs and economic risk. Other companies, including Blue Origin, are mapping and assessing lunar water ice and helium-3 for in-situ use.
Read at Futurism
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