The Future of Quantum Computing Depends on Helium-3 From the Moon. A Plan to Transport It to Earth by 2029 Is Already Underway

  • Interlune plans to extract and process lunar regolith using advanced compact robotic harvesters.

  • A 2027 lunar mission will test the technology and assess the feasibility of helium-3 extraction.

The future of quantum computing depends on helium-3 from the Moon
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Juan Carlos López

Senior Writer

An engineer by training. A science and tech journalist by passion, vocation, and conviction. I've been writing professionally for over two decades, and I suspect I still have a long way to go. At Xataka, I write about many topics, but I mainly enjoy covering nuclear fusion, quantum physics, quantum computers, microprocessors and TVs. LinkedIn

Helium is the second lightest and most abundant chemical element in the universe, surpassed only by hydrogen. This noble gas constitutes 24% to 26% of the total mass of stars, which produce it by fusing hydrogen nuclei through natural nuclear fusion reactions.

However, stars aren’t the primary source of helium in the universe. The Big Bang created most of it, leading scientists to call it “primordial helium.” Despite its abundance in the cosmos, helium is rare on Earth because its extreme lightness allowed it to escape the planet’s gravitational pull during its formation.

This article focuses not on the common helium most people know, but on helium-3. This isotope could play a crucial role in nuclear fusion reactions, potentially solving humanity's energy challenges. It also has applications in emerging technologies, including the dilution cooling systems used in superconducting quantum computers.

Interlune Plans to Test Lunar Helium-3 Mining in 2027

Most helium in the universe exists as helium-4, an isotope with two protons and two neutrons in its nucleus. Though much of it escaped during Earth’s formation, it can still be produced through the natural radioactive decay of heavier elements like uranium, which are themselves relatively scarce.

Helium-3 differs from helium-4 by just one neutron. Helium-3 nuclei consist of two protons and one neutron, whereas helium-4 nuclei contain two protons and two neutrons. While this might seem like a minor distinction, it significantly alters the element’s physicochemical properties and its quantum mechanical behavior.

The solar wind spreads helium-3 throughout the solar system and beyond, reaching the surrounding planets in relatively large quantities.

If helium-4 is rare on Earth, helium-3 is even scarcer. Stars, including the Sun, generate large quantities of helium-3 through nuclear fusion reactions. The solar wind spreads helium-3 throughout the solar system and beyond, reaching the surrounding planets in relatively large quantities.

This gas rarely accumulates on Earth due to the planet’s dual shield: the atmosphere and magnetic field. These barriers effectively block the solar wind and cosmic rays, primarily composed of protons and high-energy alpha particles, from reaching the surface. The Moon lacks an atmosphere and has a much weaker, non-dipolar magnetic field, leaving it unprotected against these cosmic forces.

In contrast, Earth’s magnetic field can be approximated as a dipole, with magnetic field lines extending from the north pole to the south pole. This shielding effect leaves the Moon’s surface far more exposed to cosmic rays and solar wind than Earth’s, allowing significant amounts of helium-3 carried by the solar wind to accumulate and settle in the lunar rocks and dust just a few meters below the surface.

It takes about a million tons of regolith to produce just two pounds of helium-3.

To extract helium-3 from the Moon, humanity must first process the lunar regolith—a loose layer of soil and rock fragments that covers the surface. Interlune, a Seattle-based company founded in 2020, aims to tackle this challenge using compact robotic harvesters designed for efficiency.

However, the process is daunting. Lunar dust is highly abrasive, and it takes about a million tons of regolith to produce just two pounds of helium-3. Despite these challenges, Interlune plans to test its extraction technology during a 2027 lunar mission and establish a pilot plant on the Moon by 2029. While these plans are ambitious, the proposed timeline seems optimistic. Additionally, the cost of transporting helium-3 from the Moon to Earth remains unclear but will undoubtedly be high.

Image | NASA

Related | This Is How Long Bitcoin Needs to Defend Itself From the Quantum Computing Threat: 10 Months

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