A space start-up will launch a moon mining mission in 2027, with the eventual goal of delivering a rare form of helium that is essential for some quantum computers and future nuclear fusion reactors. If successful, it will be the first commercial mission of its kind.
Helium-3, a form of helium with one neutron 鈥� as opposed to normal helium-4, which has two 鈥� is extremely rare on Earth, at a ratio of roughly one part per million parts helium-4. Its lower neutron number means helium-3 can cool down to extremely low temperatures, a crucial feature for quantum computers, and this also makes it a useful fuel for a cleaner form of nuclear fusion. But its scarcity also means helium-3 is prohibitively expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars per litre.
Elsewhere in the solar system, this type of helium is much more common. The sun makes helium-3 as a by-product from nuclear fusion, which it then fires out in its energetic solar wind. Most of this wind is deflected from Earth, thanks to our magnetic field, but it can reach the moon, which has no magnetic field. As a result, the solar wind embeds bubbles of helium-3 gas in rocks in the top layer of lunar soil, called regolith.
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The US company Interlune hopes to prove it can extract this gas from the lunar regolith with its Prospect Moon mission, planned for 2027. It revealed the mission details for the first time at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in Texas on 11 March. 鈥淲e aim to be the first company to commercialise resources from space,鈥� said at Interlune during the presentation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 potentially feasible,鈥� says at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, who also acted as an unpaid scientific adviser for Interlune. 鈥淏ut what we don鈥檛 know is what the true solar wind content of that lunar [soil] is.鈥�
The only estimate we currently have is a minimum level measured in lunar samples gathered during the Apollo missions. However, large amounts of helium-3 may have been lost while the samples were jiggled about on their way back from the moon, says Neal, so the true amount of lunar helium-3 could be much higher.
Measuring the actual lunar helium-3 levels, as well as other gases that might be embedded in the lunar surface, is one of the main aims of the 2027 mission, said Frank. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that this mission will actually get, and it鈥檚 incredibly valuable data,鈥� says Neal.
As well as measuring helium-3 levels, the mission will assess the accuracy of our lunar maps predicting where the isotope is likely to be found 鈥� which are currently based on data taken remotely 鈥� and also test Interlune鈥檚 helium-3 extraction technology. Frank said the company has already tested this tech on a zero-gravity flight last year.
Some scientists at LPSC had ethical concerns about mining the moon, saying it should be preserved for environmental and cultural reasons.
Neal disagrees with the environmental argument. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no life on there, so why do we need to preserve the environment?鈥� he says. However, he admits there could be cultural reasons for not mining the moon. 鈥淗ow other cultures view the moon, and changing the surface of the moon, requires those cultures to be part of this conversation,鈥� he says.
Spend a weekend with some of the brightest minds in science, as you explore the mysteries of the universe in an exciting programme that includes an excursion to see the iconic Lovell Telescope.
Mysteries of the universe: Cheshire, England
