Private companies are no longer content to sell rockets and satellites to governments. They now want to dig into the Moon itself, betting that lunar soil could become the feedstock for a new off‑world economy. At the center of this shift is Interlune, a space resources startup that aims to begin mining helium‑3 on the lunar surface by 2029, with rivals and regulators racing to keep pace.
The prospect of extracting valuable materials from the Moon has moved from science fiction to detailed engineering plans, contracts, and prototype hardware. Investors, national space agencies, and established industrial players are aligning around the idea that whoever learns to harvest and ship lunar resources first could shape the economics and rules of space for decades.
Interlune’s audacious 2029 timeline
Interlune has set a clear target: operate a commercial helium‑3 extraction system on the Moon no later than April 2029, turning a long‑shot concept into a near‑term industrial project. That date is not a vague aspiration but a schedule tied to hardware tests, customer agreements, and a stepwise plan to move from Earth‑based demonstrations to robotic operations in lunar gravity, as described in reporting that tracks how the company’s plan has come “a little closer to reality” with each milestone on no later than April 2029. The schedule is aggressive when compared with traditional government exploration programs, but Interlune is betting that a focused mission profile and commercial urgency can compress timelines that once spanned generations.
The company’s leadership has framed this deadline as both a technical and market imperative, arguing that early movers will define how lunar resources are located, extracted, and sold. Interlune’s co‑founder and chief executive, known publicly as Lai, has outlined a phased approach that starts with robotic collection of regolith, automated processing, and then shipment of refined helium‑3 back to Earth, a sequence detailed in a blog post that was later summarized in coverage of how Lai reveals details of the company’s quest. By tying the 2029 goal to specific engineering tasks rather than abstract ambition, Interlune is trying to convince customers and regulators that lunar mining is not just possible, but imminent.
Why helium‑3 is the Moon’s headline resource
Helium‑3 has become the star of the lunar mining narrative because it is scarce on Earth yet relatively abundant in the Moon’s upper soil, where it has accumulated over billions of years of solar wind exposure. On Earth, the isotope is prized for quantum technologies, cryogenics, and research, and it is often described as being worth $20M per kg, a figure that underscores why companies are willing to contemplate the cost and risk of sending heavy machinery to another world, as highlighted in a report that notes helium‑3 is “worth $20M per kg and is abundant only on the Moon” and that Interlune hopes to put a system in place to capture it. The economic logic is simple: if a kilogram of product can command that price, even extremely expensive launch and operations costs might be justified.
Interlune’s pitch leans heavily on this value proposition, presenting helium‑3 as a “unique isotope” that underpins sensitive applications where alternatives are limited or inferior. The company argues that terrestrial supplies are constrained by both physics and geopolitics, while the Moon’s regolith offers a vast, untapped reservoir that can be accessed with the right combination of excavation, heating, and separation. That framing aligns with broader commentary that positions helium‑3 as a potential cornerstone of an in‑space economy, a view echoed in industry analysis that describes how Space resources company Interlune is testing systems designed to feed exactly that market.
From Seattle lab to lunar regolith: building the hardware
Turning lunar soil into a commercial product requires more than a rocket ride, it demands specialized machinery that can dig, process, and separate helium‑3 in a harsh, airless environment. Interlune has been developing this hardware at its cryogenic laboratory in Seattle, where it works on proprietary separation technology that can extract helium‑3 from simulated regolith and other gas mixtures, a capability the company highlighted when it announced that it develops and tests this technology at its Seattle headquarters. The lab work is meant to de‑risk the most delicate part of the value chain, ensuring that once regolith is heated and gases are released, the helium‑3 can be captured efficiently.
On the excavation side, Interlune has partnered with Vermeer Corp, an industrial equipment manufacturer based in Iowa, to adapt terrestrial digging expertise to lunar conditions. The two companies unveiled a full‑scale prototype of an electric excavator designed to operate in low gravity and vacuum, a machine that was presented as a proof of concept for how heavy equipment can be reimagined for off‑world use, as described in coverage of how the startup joined Vermeer Corp, Iowa to showcase the design. A separate technical overview notes that while “Actual details on the prototype are somewhat lacking,” the electric excavator is expected to dig and handle regolith in a way that can be scaled to lunar operations, a point reinforced in an engineering‑focused look at the prototype and its capabilities.
Robots, risk mitigation, and the realities of lunar mining
Interlune’s operational concept relies on fleets of robots rather than human miners, a choice driven by both safety and cost. Lai has described a system in which robotic vehicles collect regolith, feed it into processing units, and manage storage and loading without direct human presence on the surface, a strategy that reduces life‑support requirements and allows continuous operation in harsh conditions. This approach is detailed in a plan that emphasizes robotic collection and automated processing, with a strong focus on risk mitigation for machinery that must function in dust, extreme temperature swings, and low gravity, as outlined when Interlune reveals details of how it will handle regolith that can move or sit beneath the surface.
The company’s engineers are acutely aware that operating on Earth is vastly different from the lunar surface, where fine dust can infiltrate joints and electronics, and where thermal cycles can stress materials in ways that are hard to replicate in a lab. That is why Interlune has staged tests of subscale and full‑scale systems in controlled environments, using simulated regolith and vacuum chambers to approximate lunar conditions before committing to flight hardware. Analysts who have followed these efforts note that such tests offer a reasonable proof of concept, even if they cannot fully capture the complexity of the Moon, a caveat that appears in technical reporting that stresses how operating on Earth is only a partial stand‑in for the real thing.
The money: a $300 million bet on lunar helium
For all the engineering bravado, lunar mining will not happen without substantial capital, and Interlune has already secured one of the largest resource‑linked deals in space history. The company signed an agreement worth over $300 m, described as an over $300 million commitment to purchase helium‑3 once it is delivered, effectively pre‑selling a portion of its future production to anchor customers, according to industry coverage that notes how $300 m in value is tied to these supply arrangements. That level of financial backing signals that buyers in quantum technology and cryogenics are willing to place long‑term bets on lunar‑sourced helium‑3, even before a single kilogram has been mined.
One of the most prominent partners in this deal is Bluefors, a Quantum cryogenics manufacturer that depends on ultra‑pure helium isotopes for its systems. Bluefors is effectively betting that Interlune can deliver a reliable stream of helium‑3, a wager that has been described as the “biggest space resource grab yet” and a marker of how commercial contracts are beginning to shape the emerging lunar economy, as detailed in a report that frames the arrangement as a Moon Helium Deal Is the Biggest Space Resource Grab Yet involving Quantum and Bluefors. The structure of the agreement, with payments tied to delivered kilograms, also creates a powerful incentive for Interlune to hit its 2029 operational target and scale up production quickly thereafter.
Interlune is not alone: a crowded lunar resource race
Interlune’s plans are unfolding in a broader context where multiple nations and companies are eyeing the Moon as a source of oxygen, water, metals, and other materials. Australia, for example, is preparing a 2026 rover that will apply the country’s terrestrial mining expertise to extracting oxygen and collecting soil on the lunar surface, a mission that is explicitly framed as a testbed for future resource operations, as described in analysis that notes how Australia’s 2026 rover will put its mining know‑how to work. That mission is not about helium‑3, but it reflects the same underlying belief that the Moon’s regolith is a resource to be engineered, not just a surface to be explored.
Commercial interest is also intensifying beyond a single startup, with other space resource ventures, launch providers, and robotics firms positioning themselves as suppliers or competitors in a future lunar supply chain. A snapshot of this ecosystem appears in a briefing on space startup activity that highlights how a “resources company that you may have heard of if you have followed this channel for a while” has secured its first commercial contracts, a clear reference to Interlune’s deals, while also mentioning other players like The Exploration Company and Moon‑focused ventures, as seen in a segment of a Space Startup News update. The result is a landscape where multiple actors are racing not only to reach the Moon, but to define their niche in an emerging market for lunar‑derived products.
Billions at stake and the lure of a lunar gold rush
The economic stakes behind these efforts are enormous, with analysts estimating that there are billions of dollars in potential revenue for companies that can successfully drill, process, and ship materials from the lunar surface. This expectation is not limited to helium‑3, it also encompasses water ice that can be turned into rocket fuel, oxygen for life support, and metals for construction, all of which could reduce the cost of operating in space and open new business models, as emphasized in commentary that notes There are billions of dollars in it for companies able to drill on the lunar surface. For investors, this promise of outsized returns helps justify the high upfront costs and long development timelines that lunar projects entail.
Interlune’s own financial and technical milestones are often framed within this broader “gold rush” narrative, where early claims and contracts could lock in long‑term advantages. Yet the analogy is imperfect, because lunar resources are not being staked in the same way as terrestrial mineral rights, and the legal framework governing extraction is still evolving. The tension between the lure of rapid profit and the need for orderly development is already visible in policy debates, where some experts warn that a rush to exploit the Moon could create conflict, environmental damage, or inequitable access if not carefully managed.
Rules, ethics, and the push to avoid a harmful lunar rush
The legal and ethical questions around lunar mining are no longer hypothetical, they are central to how governments and companies plan their missions. Existing space treaties prohibit national appropriation of celestial bodies, but they leave room for interpretation about whether and how resources can be extracted and owned, a gray area that has prompted calls for clearer international rules before large‑scale operations begin. One detailed analysis argues that the race to mine the Moon urgently needs such rules, warning that without them, competition for resources could outpace governance, a concern captured in a piece that frames the current moment as one where the race to mine the moon is outpacing regulation.
Within the space community, voices are emerging that explicitly caution against a “harmful lunar gold rush.” A commentary under that title argues that the rush to access the Moon for its alleged resources must be balanced with environmental stewardship, scientific priorities, and equitable access, and it cites recent editorials by Mustafa Bilal and Stirling Forbes as examples of this growing concern, as laid out in a discussion that opens with Avoiding a harmful lunar “gold rush” and references Mustafa Bilal and Stirling Forbes by name. For companies like Interlune, these debates are not abstract, they will shape licensing, mission design, and even how much regolith can be disturbed in sensitive regions, particularly near scientifically important sites or potential water reservoirs.
From speculative dream to industrial strategy
Interlune’s story illustrates how quickly lunar mining has shifted from speculative dream to concrete industrial strategy, complete with prototypes, contracts, and a defined launch window. The company’s journey has been chronicled in depth, including in a feature that describes how “This Startup Is Racing To Be The First To Mine Helium On The Moon,” highlighting Interlune’s robotic systems, its focus on helium‑3, and its ambition to lead a new market, as seen in coverage that profiles how This Startup Is Racing To Be The First To Mine Helium On The Moon and identifies Interlune as the central player. That narrative, once confined to niche space circles, is now part of mainstream discussions about the future of energy, quantum technology, and geopolitics.
At the same time, the company’s progress is a reminder that the path from prototype to production is fraught with technical, financial, and political risk. Hardware that works in a Seattle lab or an Iowa test field must survive launch, landing, and years of operation in an unforgiving environment, while contracts worth $300 million or more depend on flawless execution and a supportive regulatory climate. Whether Interlune meets its 2029 target or not, its efforts, and those of its competitors, are already reshaping how policymakers, investors, and the public think about the Moon, not as a distant backdrop, but as the next frontier of heavy industry.
More from Wilder Media Group: