SCIENCE · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Seattle Company Aims to Extract Helium-3 from Lunar Soil
WHY IT MATTERS
Successful extraction of helium-3 could provide a new source of fuel for nuclear fusion, a potentially game-changing energy source.
What happened
A Seattle-based company is attempting to extract helium-3, a rare isotope of helium, from the lunar soil.
The isotope is produced by the Sun and has been bombarding the Moon's surface for billions of years.
The company aims to collect the helium-3, which is of interest for nuclear fusion processes, by simulating the effects of meteorite impacts on the lunar soil.
PRIMARY SOURCES
15,000 years of solar wind in four hours? A Seattle company gives it a go.
Ars Technica · Eric Berger · Discovery only; Condé Nast copyright terms apply