US Startup Launches Helium-3 Harvester Prototype for Lunar Mining
US Startup Launches Helium-3 Harvester Prototype designed to harvest helium-3 from the moon. Headquartered in Seattle, the company is leading efforts to tap into lunar resources—particularly helium-3, a rare isotope on Earth but believed to be abundant on the moon.
Meeting the Challenges of Lunar Operations
Rob Meyerson, Interlune’s co-founder and CEO, highlighted the technical demands of lunar equipment. “Working on the moon pushes expectations for performance and reliability to a whole new level,” he said in an interview with Space.com.
The prototype can process about 110 tonnes of lunar regolith per hour. Lunar regolith is the loose, dusty surface material on the moon that contains small amounts of helium-3. This isotope is gaining interest as a potential clean and powerful fuel source for future nuclear fusion reactors.
Scaling Up Lunar Excavation
Helium-3 remains extremely rare on Earth but could exist in useful quantities on the moon. Gary Lai, Interlune’s co-founder and chief technology officer, explained, “No one has ever excavated on this scale to collect helium-3. Doing it efficiently is a new challenge entirely.”
Partnership With Vermeer Accelerates Development
Interlune partnered with Vermeer Corporation, a company with 70 years of experience in agricultural and industrial machinery. This collaboration helped speed up the development of the lunar mining prototype by combining space innovation with proven equipment design.
Lai noted that early test programs delivered promising results. A smaller version of the prototype, tested last year, gave the team the confidence to build the current, larger model. This development marks the first step in Interlune’s four-stage plan: excavation, sorting, extraction, and separation.
Interest in lunar helium-3 is growing worldwide. Countries such as the United States, China, and Japan are investing in lunar mining technologies. If Interlune’s project succeeds, it could transform energy production on Earth and open a new era in space-based resource extraction.
