American startup Interlune has proposed a first-of-its-kind project to commercially extract a substance called helium-3 on the Moon and send it back to Earth. This was reported by oppression Ars Technica.
Helium-3 is a stable isotope of helium consisting of two protons and one neutron. It is produced by nuclear fusion in the Sun and transported by the solar wind.
Earth’s magnetosphere directs this flow of particles away from the planet, so helium-3 is extremely rare on our planet. It is produced in small quantities in nuclear weapons tests or nuclear reactors.
Since the Moon has no magnetosphere, it is estimated that its soil contains more than 1 million tons of helium-3. The value of the reserves is estimated at an astronomical amount of more than $10 billion; This is approximately 118 times the annual GDP of all countries on Earth.
According to Rob Meyerson, co-founder of Interlune, significant demand for helium-3 is expected in the near future in the superconducting quantum computing industry and medical imaging. In the long term, the substance could become fuel for fusion reactors.
Interlune plans to conduct a pilot mission to extract helium-3 from lunar regolith in 2026. The first facility should be operational in 2028 and the supply of the resource to the Earth should be ensured by 2030. It is assumed that the gas will be transported by SpaceX or Blue Origin, which are developing reusable lunar landing modules and Moon-Earth delivery systems.
Previously at NASA I was busy Development of a nuclear reactor for the Moon and Mars.
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Jackson Ruhl is a tech and sci-fi expert, who writes for “Social Bites”. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of technology and science fiction.