Helium-3 Deal Marks First Major Purchase of Lunar Resources for Quantum Computing
While we have yet to mine on the moon, companies are already making major investments in its potential resources. Finnish tech firm Bluefors, known for making ultracold refrigerator systems crucial for quantum computing, has made a groundbreaking purchase of tens of thousands of liters of Helium-3, ... [More info]
According to the company’s plans, multiple lunar missions are scheduled this decade, backed by #contracts with #US #government agencies. In addition to #Helium3 Interlune intends to extract #RareEarths, industrial #metals, & #water from the #Moon, laying the foundation for a long-term in-#space economy.
…#Interlune is one of the 1st companies aiming to #commercialize #Helium3 resources from the #Moon. Its #harvesting #technology is described as lighter, smaller, & more energy-efficient than rival concepts, cutting costs for both transportation & lunar operation. The company is also developing Earth-based systems to separate helium-3 from terrestrial gas supplies, which it says will provide an interim source before full lunar operations begin.
The agreement marks one of the first commercial commitments to secure #Helium3 a scarce isotope on Earth but present in significant quantities on the #Moon. According to Interlune, helium-3 was deposited on the lunar surface by the solar wind & first identified in Apollo-era samples. The #UK government release on the deal described helium-3 as a critical material for #quantum #computers & one of the most valuable substances that can be transported from #space.
#Bluefors, the world’s leading maker of #cryogenic cooling systems for #quantum #technology, has signed an agreement to purchase up to 10,000 liters of #Helium3 annually from #Interlune, a #US company developing #space-based resource extraction. The deliveries are scheduled from 2028 through 2037, according to an Interlune news release.
#Moon #MoonMining #tech #law #business #QuantumComputing
https://www.interlune.space/press-release/bluefors-to-source-helium-3-from-the-moon-with-interlune-to-power-next-phase-of-quantum-industry-growth
The #excavator will be in continuous operation and process 100 tons ⛰️ in one hour ⏱️ https://www.heise.de/en/news/Interlune-presents-excavator-for-helium-3-mining-on-the-moon-10398297.html
The two instruments on the Lunar #Trailblazer spacecraft will work in tandem to generate high-resolution maps of the moon's 🌙 #water💧. It should take between four and seven months to arrive in its final orbit https://phys.org/news/2025-02-lunar-trailblazer-blasts-moon.html
On Wednesday 26 February, a thermal imaging camera built by researchers at the University of Oxford's Department of Physics will blast off to the moon as part of NASA's Lunar Trailblazer mission. This aims to map sources of water on the moon to shed light on the lunar water cycle and to guide future robotic and human missions.
Early next month, #IM2 is targeting a touchdown at 84.6° south latitude, just 160 km from the #Moon’s 🌙 south pole. It will deploy an #ice-mining drill 🕳️ and mass spectrometer, a miniaturized rover, and a unique “hopper” craft. Its first hop will reach a height of 20 m with two additional hops aiming to reach 50 m then 100 m. On its fourth and fifth hops, it will leap in and out of a permanently shadowed region inside a 20 m-deep #crater. https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/intuitive-machines-preps-im-2-mission-for-moon-launch-this-week
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