Ex-executives of the space company Blue Origin decided to engage in commercial activities to extract a rare isotope of helium, helium-3 (He-3), from lunar regolith and created the startup Interlune.
According to TechCrunch, Interlune has already raised $15.5 million to develop equipment for helium-3 production on the Moon. However, specific information about the extraction methods and technologies to be used is kept secret.
Interlune is going to demonstrate its developments no earlier than 2026 and launch a pilot project to extract this helium isotope in 2028.
It is assumed that in the future helium-3 will be actively used in quantum computers, fusion reactors, and as a space fuel.
Source
vsviti