Interlune's Prospect Moon: Extracting Helium-3 from Lunar Soil at 1/10 the Energy

Moon Mining Deep Dive Series #3

Previous post: Helium-3 Extraction: Interlune vs Black Moon Energy vs Magna Petra Next post: Magna Petra's Non-Destructive Mining: Simulating 4 Billion Years of Solar Wind with AI Digital Twins

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🚀 Opening: Blue Origin Alumni Digging on the Moon

In 2020, former Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson and former Chief Architect Gary Lai founded a startup with Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt. The name: Interlune. Their goal is clear — commercialize the technology for extracting Helium-3 from lunar regolith.

In 2025, Interlune received a $6.9M sole-source contract from NASA. The contract: "Prospect Moon". In 2028, this payload heads to the Moon.

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🏢 Interlune Company Profile

Item	Details
Founded	2020
Headquarters	Seattle, USA
Founders	Rob Meyerson (former Blue Origin President), Gary Lai (former Blue Origin Chief Architect), Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17 astronaut), Indra Hornsby
Core Technology	Prospect Moon payload (4-stage extraction process)
NASA Contract	$6.9M (18 months, sole-source)
Launch Target	2028

Why Sole-Source?

NASA selected Interlune without competitive bidding because of the uniqueness of their technology. Interlune's low-energy mechanical extraction approach is fundamentally different from conventional thermal-based ISRU.

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🔬 4-Stage Extraction Process: Excavate → Sort → Extract → Separate

Interlune's core IP is the 4-stage process. Here's a detailed analysis of each stage.

Interlune's 4-Stage He-3 Extraction Process: Excavate → Sort → Extract → Separate

Stage 1: Excavate

Equipment: Continuous trencher-type excavator developed in collaboration with Vermeer Corporation

Specification	Value
Throughput	100 metric tons of regolith per hour
Method	Continuous trenching
Feature	Based on commercial heavy equipment technology

Prototype Reveal: May 7, 2025 — Full-scale prototype unveiled - Vermeer Corporation manufactures large-scale earthmoving equipment on Earth - Design optimized for lunar gravity (1/6g) environment

Stage 2: Sort

Principle: Particle-size sorting device

Key Insight: <100μm particles have higher He-3 concentration.

Particle Size	He-3 Concentration Characteristics
<100μm	Optimal — High He-3 concentration
100μm ~ 1mm	Medium
>1mm	Low

Test History: - Tested 4+ times on Zero Gravity Corp's parabolic flights - August 2024: Sorting prototype test - 40 dives, 2.5 hours simulating lunar gravity (1/6g) environment

Stage 3: Extract — The Core Innovation

Method: Mechanical processing (agitation/crushing) + low-temperature heating

Innovation: 1/10 energy consumption compared to conventional 600-900°C thermal extraction

Method	Temperature	Energy	Company
Traditional thermal extraction	600-900°C	100%	Black Moon Energy
Interlune method	Low temp	~10%	Interlune

Mechanism (Estimated): 1. Mechanical vibration/compression releases He-3 from regolith 2. Minimal temperature rise (likely below 200°C) 3. Gaseous He-3 collection

Exact temperature and mechanism are trade secrets. Additional information is expected from NASA contract public documents.

Stage 4: Separate

Equipment: NASA-developed mass spectrometer

Method: Mass analysis to separate He-3 from other gases

Payload Components: - Robotic arm - Scoop - Particle-size sorting device - Mass spectrometer (NASA-provided) - Mechanical + thermal processing units

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🤝 Key Partnerships

Partner	Role	Status
NASA	Prospect Moon payload contract ($6.9M), mass spectrometer provision	✅ Contract signed
Vermeer Corporation	Excavator prototype development	✅ Revealed May 2025
Astrolab	Autonomous mobility/harvesting fleet	✅ Partnership active
Zero Gravity Corp	Parabolic flight testing	✅ 4+ tests completed

Significance of Astrolab Partnership

Astrolab develops lunar surface vehicles (rovers). While Interlune's excavator operates at fixed mining sites, Astrolab's rovers can handle transportation between mining sites and harvested material transport.

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💼 Customers & Market

Secured Customers

Customer	Use Case	Contract Date	Historical Significance
U.S. DOE Isotope Program	Government research/medical isotopes	2025	First non-Earth resource government purchase
Maybell Quantum	Quantum refrigeration	2025	First commercial customer, delivery from 2029

He-3 Market Value

Indicator	Value
He-3 estimated value	~$20M+/kg
3L He-3 processing volume	Swimming pool-sized regolith
Market size (2030 estimate)	Billions of dollars (if fusion commercialized)

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🔬 Interlune Research Lab (IRL)

• Location: Houston
• Role: Development of thermal control systems
• Purpose: Thermal management optimization for Prospect Moon payload
• Significance: Equipment protection under extreme lunar temperature variations (-173°C ~ 127°C)

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📈 Prospect Moon Roadmap

2025 ── Excavator prototype reveal, customer contracts signed
       └── Zero-G testing continues

2026 ── Payload detailed design, NASA review
       └── IRL thermal control system development

2027 ── Payload assembly, integration testing
       └── Launch preparation

2028 ── 🚀 Prospect Moon launch
       └── Lunar surface He-3 extraction demonstration

2029 ── Commercialization begins (Maybell Quantum delivery)
       └── Additional customer acquisition

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🎯 Key Data Summary

Indicator	Value	Source
NASA contract amount	$6.9M (18 months)	SpaceNews
Prospect Moon launch target	2028	NASA contract
Excavator throughput	100 metric tons/hour	Press Release
Energy efficiency	10× reduction vs conventional	Interlune claim
He-3 value	~$20M+/kg	Interlune blog
Patent	US20240200447A1	Google Patents
Zero-G test count	4+	Interlune blog
Parabolic flight dives	40 dives/2.5 hours	Interlune blog

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🔮 Conclusion: Can Interlune Become the Tesla of Lunar Mining?

Interlune has the perfect combination of technology innovation + strong team + NASA support + early customers. Blue Origin alumni's space industry network, Vermeer's heavy equipment manufacturing capabilities, and NASA's technical support make it a unique company.

The success of Prospect Moon in 2028 will be the watershed moment for the He-3 extraction industry. If successful, Interlune could become the "Tesla" of lunar mining.

In the next post, we analyze Magna Petra's AI-based non-destructive mining technology — the most innovative approach in the field.

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📚 References

1. Interlune — "Excavate, Sort, Extract, and Separate" (Core IP Blog) https://www.interlune.space/blog/excavate-sort-extract-and-separate-interlune-core-intellectual-property

2. Interlune — "Space Resources Company Interlune Unveils Full-Scale Prototype" https://www.interlune.space/press-release/space-resources-company-interlune-unveils-full-scale-prototype

3. Interlune — "Interlune Awarded $6.9 Million Contract from NASA" https://www.interlune.space/press-release/interlune-awarded-6-9-million-contract-from-nasa-for-lunar-resource-development

4. SpaceNews — "Interlune wins NASA contract for helium-3 extraction payload" https://spacenews.com/interlune-wins-nasa-contract-for-helium-3-extraction-payload/

5. NASA Patent — US20240200447A1 (Lunar Regolith Processing System) https://patents.google.com/patent/US20240200447A1

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Series Guide: - Previous post: Helium-3 Extraction: Interlune vs Black Moon Energy vs Magna Petra - Full series list: Moon Mining Tech Blog Series

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Written by: lunarpulse_ Published: 2026-05-18 Tags: #moon-mining #interlune #prospect-moon #helium-3 #nasa #space-resources

Tags

• moon-mining
• interlune
• prospect-moon
• Helium-3
• NASA
• space-resources