Ex-Blue Origin executives have formed a stealth startup known as Interlune, with plans to mine the moon. The company is focused on extracting a rare helium isotope, Helium-3 (He3), which could potentially be used to scale quantum computing and fusion power.
Last week, it emerged from regulatory filings that Interlune raised $15.5 million in fresh capital. Previously, they had raised a $2.69 million preseed round. Interlune’s pitch decks from spring 2022 and fall 2023, viewed by TechCrunch, disclose that the startup sought funding to construct and test resource extraction tools for lunar He3 but offered no specifics.
A key claim in Interlune’s latest deck is that the company has created a revolutionary He3 extraction technique from lunar regolith. However, the startup has provided no further detail, including how the helium will be stored or returned to Earth.
Exposure to solar wind, which the Earth’s magnetic field protects it from, results in He3 deposits on the lunar surface. Interlune anticipates a significant increase in demand for He3, projecting an annual requirement of 4,000 kilograms by 2040 compared to just 5 kilograms presently. In comparison with Earth, He3 is plentiful on the moon.
Mining the moon for He3 isn’t a new idea. However, the required technology for extraction hasn’t been developed, making the initiative more of a science fiction till now. Other countries, such as China, have also shown interest in He3 mining.
Interlune’s executive team includes industry veterans such as Rob Meyerson, former Blue Origin president, Gary Lai, ex-chief architect at Blue Origin, and Indra Hornsby, who has experience in multiple space technology companies.
Interlune plans to demonstrate its technology on the moon as early as 2026 and expects to have a pilot plant extracting He3 by 2028. If all goes well, the company could generate $500 million in annual recurring revenue by the next decade. However, the costs of launching, returning resources, and building mining equipment at scale are considerable.
Other startups have also targeted in-space resource extraction, but Interlune’s ambitions set it apart. While many focus on using lunar resources for on-orbit applications or mineral extraction, none are currently focused on He3.
Source: Ex-Blue Origin leaders’ secretive lunar startup Interlune has moonshot mining plans.
