Interlune, a promising startup, is aiming to be the pioneer private company in extracting the moon’s natural resources and selling them on Earth. The company’s initial focus will be on helium-3, an isotope abundant on the moon and created by the sun through fusion. In an interview with Ars Technica, Rob Meyerson, one of Interlune’s founders and former Blue Origin president, revealed the company’s plan to fly its harvester with an upcoming commercial moon mission supported by NASA. The goal is to establish a pilot plant on the moon by 2028 and commence operations by 2030.
This week, Interlune announced that it has secured $18 million in funding, with $15 million from its latest round led by Seven Seven Six, the venture firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The targeted resource, helium-3, has potential applications on Earth such as quantum computing and medical imaging, and could even be used as fuel in the future.
2024-03-16 10:22:16
Original from www.engadget.com