This company is going to mine Helium 3 on the Moon.

 

Interlune https://share.google/TPNivRs0TMPXrC09l

 

Interlune has developed novel machinery and processes to detect and extract natural resources from space and bring them back to Earth for the first time in history.

 

 

Edited September 5, 2025Sep 5 by martin-w

The moon is our word not allowed now?

Well, so far all I see is a website.  Looks like they got some investor money and govt. grant money to get started.  We'll see.

I like the idea, and there is evidence of abundant helium-3 on the moon.  We would need this for fusion power, which IMO is the future - not tens of thousands of silly wind turbines. I started watching the new Star Trek Strange New Worlds series the other day and in the first episode they show Capt. Pike at his huge home out in the country somewhere and wind turbines turning away.  Does anyone really believe that in 250 years we will be using such impractical, almost medieval technology for power?

Anyway, we still can barely manage to get a rocket into orbit, let alone fly people to the moon.  It is odd that we haven't been back to the moon in almost 50 years, and we should certainly have no trouble getting there with modern technology, yet we still haven't done it.  Strange....

I wish this venture good fortune, but I doubt we'll see anything come of it for at least a decade, and that's being optimistic.

Dave

This requires a link to Moon.

What other heavenly bodies are planned for molestation?

While Helium3 is a promising source of clean energy, nuclear fusion and numerous other applications, does current technology make it that practical?  Perhaps in the future.  I have no problem with wind farms, fields of solar panels and harnessing the power of ocean currents.  Let's take what Mother Earth gives us for free without consequences. 

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/google-quietly-removes-net-zero-carbon-goal-from-website-amid-rapid-power-hungry-ai-data-center-buildout-industry-first-sustainability-pledge-moved-to-background-amidst-ai-energy-crisis

10 hours ago, dave2013 said:

silly wind turbines.

 

They obviously aren't silly, as we've explored before. They aren't impractical either. And not medieval technology, as the technology is nothing like the primitive windmills of the past, except that they, err, spin round.

But yes, you would not expect such tech in a Star Trek world, where fusion, antimatter reactors, anti-gravity, photon torpedos, phasers and all manner of super advanced technology has been invented. I guess it was just unimaginative writing. 

 

10 hours ago, dave2013 said:

Anyway, we still can barely manage to get a rocket into orbit, let alone fly people to the moon.  It is odd that we haven't been back to the moon in almost 50 years, and we should certainly have no trouble getting there with modern technology, yet we still haven't done it.  Strange....

 

Please dont tell me you are a Moon landing conspiracy guy, now? 😁

We went to the Moon to beat the Russians in the space race. Once that was done political and public interest ended. And not true that we can "barely get a rocket in orbit" SpaceX launch 60 Falcons per year, I recall and total launches globally are well over 200. And of course we've gone much further than orbit, with numerous probes launched to the planet's. The Polaris Dawn manned mission went further than any astronauts have been since Apollo. They also passed through the Van-Allen radiation belts.

 

10 hours ago, dave2013 said:

I wish this venture good fortune, but I doubt we'll see anything come of it for at least a decade, and that's being optimistic.

 

A decade isn't out of the question for a working mining venture, I would guess.

Edited September 6, 2025Sep 6 by martin-w

7 hours ago, Fielder said:

What other heavenly bodies are planned for molestation?

 

Its a barren rock. Better to mine there than here. Which, according to Blue Origin, is their long term goal. 

4 hours ago, tdflightsim said:

While Helium3 is a promising source of clean energy, nuclear fusion and numerous other applications, does current technology make it that practical?  Perhaps in the future.  I have no problem with wind farms, fields of solar panels and harnessing the power of ocean currents.  Let's take what Mother Earth gives us for free without consequences. 

 

Helium 3 is exceedingly rare here. So might make it viable. Especially if SpaceX complete the development of Starship, which is fully reusable, will be much cheaper per launch and can be built and launched very rapidly on a production line. 150 tons to orbit is the estimate and for certain missions, dispensing with reusability pushes the payload much higher.

IBTL.

11 hours ago, tdflightsim said:

I have no problem with wind farms, fields of solar panels and harnessing the power of ocean currents.  Let's take what Mother Earth gives us for free without consequences.

But it's not free.  There are costs to harnessing it, and they are quite high despite the propaganda.  Then there is the actual cost of the power produced.  The UK, which has embraced what you mention, has among the highest power costs in the world, as do almost all other countries who have embraced this type of energy.  The average person will pay for it from their own meager pockets, while the investors, owners, executives, and govt. folks reap the financial windfall.

Anyway, please make sure the "green" industry knows to build more wind and solar farms near where you live and maybe they'll to stay away from where I live. 😀

Signing off for good on this one.

Dave

6 hours ago, martin-w said:

And not true that we can "barely get a rocket in orbit" SpaceX launch 60 Falcons per year, I recall and total launches globally are well over 200.

I'm talking about *manned* rockets and spaceships.  Not many of those, as it is extremely dangerous and costly, so when folks start talking about building bases on and mining the moon, well, you can see where I might be a bit skeptical.

Dave

6 minutes ago, dave2013 said:

I'm talking about *manned* rockets and spaceships.  Not many of those, as it is extremely dangerous and costly, so when folks start talking about building bases on and mining the moon, well, you can see where I might be a bit skeptical.

Dave

 

Its a total average of 15 manned missions per year.

If there are profitable commercial opportunities, it will happen. Cheaper reusable craft like Starship make it more viable.

12 minutes ago, dave2013 said:

But it's not free.  There are costs to harnessing it, and they are quite high despite the propaganda.  Then there is the actual cost of the power produced.  The UK, which has embraced what you mention, has among the highest power costs in the world, as do almost all other countries who have embraced this type of energy. 

 

Not true.

"Yes, wind and solar are increasingly becoming the cheapest forms of new electricity generation globally. Costs have fallen dramatically due to technological advances, with new wind and solar projects in many regions now costing less than new fossil fuel power plants over their lifetime."

"UK energy is expensive primarily because the price of gas-fired power plants sets the wholesale electricity price, even with significant renewable energy generation"

 

And I hope this isn't going to be another off topic locked thread.