Initiated brief:
- Helium-3, a rare isotope deposited on the moon by the solar wind, is essential for dilution refrigerators widely used by quantum computers, but its rarity on earth raises concerns concerning the future offer.
- Interlune, a company based in Seattle founded in 2020 by former technologists of blue origin, intends to exploit the helium-3 of the lunar regolith using compact and energy-efficient robotic harvesters designed to extract and treat isotope.
- Helium -3 mining is delivered with significant challenges, including low concentrations (2.4 to 26 parts per billion), an abrasive lunar dust and the need to treat large amounts of soil – up to 1 million tonnes for a single kilogram.
- Interlune plans to test the extraction of helium-3 with a mission to develop resources in 2027 and to establish a pilot factory on the moon by 2029, supported by subsidies and private financing to meet the needs of Quantum IT and other emerging technologies.
For those who have had the unique opportunity to attend the Apollo 11 mission, memories of the headmaster moments often resurfaces – moments that seemed to extend in eternity like humanity looked at, in time Real, one of its most determining exploits: the moon landing. Since then, whatever the controversy which, of an unknown depth, brings together the audacity to question such a feat, the landing has become emblematic of the great efforts that we are making in the pursuit of the objective, of the ‘Exploration and understanding.
Now, decades later, the Moon is once again both as a symbol and a target of human ambition – not just for exploration but for its mining potential. While the atmosphere of the earth and the magnetic field protect it from the attack of the solar wind, the moon has long been exposed to these particles, accumulating an abundance of helium-3 (HE-3). Over the billions of years, meteorite impacts have pushed this rare isotope more deeply in the lunar regolith, the ground and bulk rock layer covering the surface.
Quantum computers, in particular superconductive quantum computers, are not foreign to endless adversity born of undeniable complexity. These machines rely on the maintenance of temperatures near Absolute Zero, the point to which the thermal movement ceases essentially, to function properly. The realization of such extreme cooling depends on cryogenic techniques which, in turn, require rare resources such as helium-3.
On earth, helium-3 is a rarity. It can be obtained by the decrease in tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, but the process is difficult and has a limited capacity to evolve. As the development of quantum technology accelerates, the same goes for whether the Helium-3 supply can keep the rate of demand.
For some, this concern can arouse the desire to postpone the problem as a task better suited to tomorrow than today. But for Interlune, a company based in Seattle with a bold mission, it is simply an engineering issue. Founded in 2020 by a team of former Blue Origin technologists, Interlune recognizes lunar helium-3 as a critical component to meet the cooling requirements of quantum computers.
In a Recent interview with SpaceNewsThe CEO of Interlune, Rob Meyerson, pointed out: “Quantum IT is the key demand generator for us.” While helium-3 has potential applications to supply nuclear fusion reactors, improve medical imaging and improve radiation detection, the main objective of the company remains on quantum computer science, where demand should increase During the next decade.
Interlune approach consists in developing compact robotic and energy efficiency crops designed to extract the lunar helium -3 – the soil and the loose rock covering the surface of the moon. These crops, similar to large agricultural equipment, will dig up the lunar soil at a depth of three meters, will treat it to extract the Helium-3, then redeposive the soil in a “plowed” state. Meyerson plans to deploy five of these short -term harvesters, each of the size of a large SUV.
HE-3 mining challenges
The moon can contain quantities of helium-3 in abundance, but extract it is not a small task. According to the interview, the samples of lunar regoliths brought back during the Apollo missions of NASA reveal that the concentrations of helium-3 are extremely low, ranging from 2.4 to 26 parts per billion. To harvest a single kilogram of helium -3, Interlune should deal with 100,000 to 1 million tonnes of regolith – a monumental company comparable to the exploitation of a large copper mine on earth.
The uneven distribution of helium-3 adds an insult to the injury. While the constantly shaded regions near the southern lunar pole contain higher concentrations, these areas are notoriously difficult to access and operate. For the moment, Interlune plans to target the regions near the lunar equator, where the conditions are more favorable for mining operations.
The other obstacles include the abrasive nature of the lunar dust, which is the enemy of the machines, and the scale of operations necessary to make the mine profitable. Interlune must also develop and test the owner technology capable of effectively treating the regolith in low gravity conditions.
A lunar action plan
Interlune adopts a methodical approach to these challenges. The company plans to launch a resource development mission in 2027 to measure helium-3 concentrations on a future mining site and to test small-scale extraction techniques. This will be followed by the creation of a pilot factory on the moon in 2029, designed to prove the scope of mining operations and the return of Helium-3 to Earth.
To support its long -term objectives, Interlune has obtained financing from private investors and government subsidies. This is in particular a subsidy of $ 365,000 from the US Energy Ministry to develop technology to separate helium-3 from terrestrial helium, as well as a subsidy of NASA Techflights to advance the Lunar soil treatment technology. Interlune also carried out tests in low-gravity environments using modified B-727-200 aircraft from Zero-G Corporation, which simulates lunar gravity during parabolic dives.
Interconnected moon figures
Interlune mission has the potential to meet the needs of quantum technology development and to embody proof of concept of resources search beyond our blue marble. Beyond that, it also illustrates the interdependence of emerging fields. The development of quantum computers stimulates the demand for helium-3, which, in turn, fuels the progress of lunar extraction, robotics and space trips. As these technologies evolve, they create a training effect, accelerating progress in several areas.
For example, progress in robotics could improve owner mining technology. Improvements of quantum sensors could refine the detection of resources and the planning of the route on the lunar surface. Meanwhile, progress in space trips could reduce barriers to operate in extraterrestrial environments. These intertwined developments define the collective moon of humanity – a continuation of knowledge and innovation that transcend individual areas.
And so, the adage of childhood takes on a new dimension: reaching the moon, and if you fail, you may land on a meteorite rich in Helium-3 deposits.