The valuable element that could spark a ‘gold rush’ on the moon

It sounds so far-fetched as to be something out of science fiction: robots mining on the moon.

But there are 20 quadrillion* reasons this lunar mining dream could eventually come true.

“We’re talking 20 quadrillion dollars of helium-3, at the current market price, is present on the moon,” said Gary Lai, chief technology officer of moon mining start-up Interlune, based in Seattle.

Most of us are somewhat familiar with helium: a gas so light it makes balloons float. But helium is also used in the huge magnets of MRI scanners* and in the production of microchips.

Helium-3, an isotope* of helium, is a whole other level of high tech usefulness. An essential part of super cool fridges that are needed for quantum computers*, an abundance of helium-3 could revolutionise quantum computing. It could potentially also be used in low radioactive nuclear fusion reactors*, which could dramatically change power generation. Helium-3 could also improve MRI scanning imagery.

WHY MINE THE MOON?
While helium is relatively easy to find on Earth, helium-3 is not. It comprises just 0.000137 per cent of helium. On Earth, it is mainly harvested from decaying tritium, a radioactive isotope used in nuclear weapons, which aren’t the easiest thing to access.

Most of the current helium-3 stock is stockpiled by the US government – with only a limited amount sold.

However, much more helium-3 could be found in space.

“The sun spews it out in all directions,” said Mr Lai.

While the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field swats it away back into space, helium-3 ends up building up on the moon.

“The moon doesn’t have an atmosphere or a strong magnetic field, so for billions of years it’s just been collecting on the surface,” he said.

“Within the first three metres of soil on the moon there’s estimated to be about one billion kilograms.”

One kilogram of helium-3 could be worth a whopping $US20 million (AUD $28 million). In total, that’s $US20 quadrillion that could potentially be lying around in moon dirt.

THE CHALLENGES
Not only would the process of landing on the moon and mining the element be challenging, helium-3 would only be a very tiny component of the lunar soil, known as regolith*.

Interlune said its plan was to crush the soil quickly, releasing a gas which is mostly regular helium and hydrogen.

“To separate out the helium-3, we do really deep cryogenic distillation*,” said Mr Lai.

“If you cool the gas enough, everything turns to liquid except helium-3, which has the lowest liquefaction point* of anything in the solar system”.

Helium-3 remains a gas at just two degrees Kelvin* – that’s just above absolute zero, theoretically the coldest known temperature, equivalent to -273.15C.

Once mined, they would then have to get the helium-3 back to Earth.

Interlune has been running simulations on Earth to see how effective its robots are at mining the substance in the deep vacuum of space.

Last month, it said it had managed to extract 99 per cent pure helium-3 from standard helium found on Earth through its cryogenic technology. The result means it could start harvesting the isotope before it even gets to the moon, however, the same technology will also be key to moon-mined helium-3.

AUSTRALIA’S ROLE
The Australian Space Agency has been working with NASA to design a space rover (yes, it’s called “Roo-ver”) that could pick up and transport regolith – where helium-3 would be present.

“We’re looking for strategic partners in the Western Australia mining ecosystem because Australia’s got that combination of the space exploration and the mining exploration – and that is a sweet spot for us,” Interlune chief operating officer Indra Hornsby told news.com.au, adding that Interlune had already held discussions with several companies in Perth.

MOON CONFLICT?
China is also interested in mining the moon, spending billions on a magnetic space launcher that could extract helium-3 and ricochet capsules of it back to Earth.

China has not signed the US-backed Artemis Accords*. These are non-binding accords that set out guidelines for space exploration, including that it should be peaceful, activities should be transparent and nations should “refrain from any intentional actions that may create harmful interference with each other’s use of outer space”.

However, Ms Hornsby has ruled out celestial conflict with China over a helium-3 gold rush.

“China does participate actively with the United Nations and the US on the peaceful uses of outer space, so they are co-ordinating,” she said.

“It’s not in anyone’s interest, including China’s, to create conflict on the moon.

“The moon’s a very, very big place, and we don’t see a conflict developing in terms of where China wants to go, where we want to go and where other nations are focused.”

Interlune has said its entire operation for the first five years could fit within one kilometre square and it initially only expects to remove 10-20 kilograms of the estimated one billion kilos of helium-3 from the surface.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
Right now, moon mining remains a lunar dream. But the US is rushing to make it a reality.

The first step is getting astronauts back on the moon by 2028 as part of Artemis III. If that happens, Interlune hopes they’ll take a rover with them, which could be the next huge step towards the start of moon mining.

The reporter visited Seattle on a trip facilitated by the US Foreign Press Centres.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• quadrillion: according to the US scale, it is a 1 followed by 15 zeros - 1,000,000,000,000,000
• MRI scanners: big medical scanners that use powerful magnets to take detailed images of the inside of the body
• isotope: a different version of the same chemical element, having the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons
• quantum computers: advanced computers that use the laws of quantum physics to solve complex problems faster than traditional computers. Quantum computers use qubits, quantum bits, to store data, whereas normal computers store data as either a 0 or a 1. Qubits, in contrast, can be both a 0 and a 1 at the same time and can link together, making them extremely powerful and rigorous at testing complex problems, such as running simulations for new medicines
• nuclear fusion reactors: experimental machines that generate energy by forcing light atomic nuclei to combine into heavier ones, just like the natural processes that occur within stars
• regolith: the layer of soil that covers the bedrock on the moon. This surface soil is made up of broken rock, dust and soil
• cryogenic distillation: separating different parts of a gas mixture by cooling them to extremely low temperatures until they turn to liquid then separating them based on their different boiling points
• liquefaction point: also known as the melting point, the temperature and pressure at which at solid or gas turns to liquid
• Kelvin: the base unit of temperature used in the International System of Units. It is an absolute scale starting at absolute 0 K, which is the theoretical point at which molecules have zero kinetic energy
• Artemis Accords: a set of non-binding international guidelines or principles designed by NASA to guide space exploration that has been signed by over 60 countries. The Accords set out guidelines calling for transparency, peaceful purposes, action to avoid space junk, sustainable resource extraction and to help astronauts in distress

EXTRA READING
NASA reveals plan for moon base
How to become an Oz astronaut
Space tradies and buck moon rise

QUICK QUIZ
1. Why is there more helium-3 on the moon than Earth?
2. Where is helium-3 usually sourced from on Earth?
3. In what way could Australia get involved in moon-mining?
4. How much money is one kilogram of helium-3 currently worth?
5. Why is there so much interest in mining helium-3 from the moon?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Moon Roo-ver
Work with a partner to design, draw and label your own moon-mining robot to collect the helium-3 to bring back to Earth.

Your robot needs to be capable of doing the following tasks:

• move across moon soil
• collect regolith (where helium-3 is present)
• survive extreme conditions
• carry the material
• communicate back with Earth
• Share your picture and design with the class.

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Design and Technologies, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
“Humans should be allowed to mine the moon for resources.”

Write the arguments for and against this statement.

FOR                                                                           AGAINST

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Ethical, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
BAB it!
Show you have read and understood the article by writing three sentences using the connectives “because’’, “and”, and “but” (BAB). Your sentences can share different facts or opinions, or the same ones but written about in different ways.