For generations, the moon has fascinated space buffs, scientists, and even science-fiction writers. As the demand for cleaner, more efficient energy sources continue to grow, the moon may light the way to fuel life on Earth. NASA has estimated that there are between 1 and 3 million tons of helium-3 on the moon’s surface, which could open a new frontier in nuclear fusion. With major developments in lunar resource extraction, this may not be a dream but an opportunity within the next few decades.
Revealing the energy potential of the moon: Helium-3 could be the power of the future
One of these isotopes that could change everything is Helium-3. Unlike traditional nuclear fuels, helium-3 does not create dangerous radioactive waste and could be expanded into clean nuclear fusion reactors. Solar winds that drove this valuable resource deep into the surface have bombarded, for billions of years, the moon’s regolith, its powdery, soil-like material.
About 1 to 3 million tons of helium-3 are waiting to be harvested from soil on the moon. Researchers, such as those at the Fusion Technology Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have long focused on the potential to tap into this vast reservoir of helium-3.
The team, comprising Aaron Olson, supported by NASA’s Space Technology Research Fellowship, is working in the lab to adapt the techniques for extracting helium-3 from chrysotile stimulants of lunar soil. This NASA-sponsored research takes us a step closer to showing that resources from the moon can be an energy solution for life on Earth (like this ultimate and infinite energy).
Moon mining: Overcoming obstacles to extract helium-3
Mining helium-3 from the lunar crust isn’t simple. First, researchers must create technology that can embed helium ions in lunar regolith and then diffuse helium-3 from the soil. Olson and his team are currently constructing a prototype of this extraction system, hoping to test it in a simulated environment on the Moon.
That requires building a lunar gravity environment, to mimic the conditions found on the moon and is an important part of establishing that the system will work once in space. However, the extraction of helium-3 from the moon can be very lucrative. There are a few challenges. How is this going to be delivered back to Earth? Will we have fusion reactors ready to use helium-3 as a power source?
Massive projects such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) are making progress toward building practical fusion reactors. But technology has a long way to go before helium-3 can be used as a sustainable energy source.
Why is the mining of helium-3 drawing international interest
Helium-3 mining on the moon, a potential gold mine, has piqued the interest of space agencies and private companies around the globe. Other nations are interested in mining the moon as well: India has a lunar lander mission planned for its 2028-2029 time-frame and the United Arab Emirates is eyeing lunar material as well.
Private companies like Shackleton Energy are considering mining lunar water for propellant to power future solar system exploration. In addition, helium-3 can also be extracted from the surface of other planets, such as Jupiter, where it is more abundant.
But the relative remoteness of Jupiter and the logistical difficulties of extracting helium-3 from the gas giant makes it a more challenging and costly undertaking than mining on the moon. However, not everyone believes that helium-3 is the fuel of the future. Some, including the theoretical physicist Frank Close, have described helium-3 fusion as an impossible idea, a so-called “moonshine.” Yet the dream of mining for lunar helium-3 remains tantalizing, promising clean and nearly limitless energy.
The moon may be the next energy revolution for Earth with an estimated 1 to 3 million tons of helium-3 in its topsoil. It is a resource that can assist in covering increasing energy demand (such as the most powerful energy source in history). While there are hurdles still to address in extraction and fusion technology, as we move forward in our time, we have hope that lunar mining could become an integral part of the coming energy age, enabling us to come out on the other side of Earth’s climatic woes.
