Interlune Signs Contract to Deliver Lunar Helium-3 Starting in 2029

In a historic move, Interlune has signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Isotope Program to supply helium-3 harvested from the Moon. This marks the first-ever government purchase of a space-sourced natural resource, with delivery expected by April 2029 at near-market rates.

Scarce on Earth but abundant on the Moon, helium-3 is in high demand for national security, quantum tech, medical imaging, and clean energy. To extract the committed three liters, Interlune must process regolith on-site at an industrial scale.

We are proud to announce our agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) @ENERGY: the first-ever government purchase of a natural resource sourced from space.

The DOE’s Isotope Program (DOE IP) has agreed to purchase helium-3 harvested from the Moon—for delivery on Earth… pic.twitter.com/cFbd0BJfwh
— Interlune (@InterluneSpace) May 7, 2025

The material will be refined directly on the Moon using the first pilot plant, rather than transported to Earth for processing. This agreement represents the DOE’s first non-terrestrial resource purchase and a decisive step toward building sustainable lunar supply chains.

Aligned with that vision, Interlune is starting with helium-3 deliveries to Earth-based customers but ultimately aims to supply a broader range of lunar resources to support in-space use and deeper exploration.

“With this agreement, the DOE IP is signaling to companies and investors that it supports novel approaches to securing critical materials for use on Earth, including space resources.”

— Rob Meyerson, Interlune co-founder and CEO

Engineering the future of lunar excavation

To deliver three liters of helium-3, Interlune must process enough lunar soil to fill a backyard swimming pool, an effort far too massive to manage from Earth. This challenge demands a robust on-site system, beginning with excavation, the first phase in the company’s four-step lunar harvesting process.

On May 7, 2025, Interlune, in partnership with Vermeer Corporation, unveiled a full-scale prototype of its lunar excavator, engineered to process 100 metric tons of regolith per hour in continuous motion. This machine marks the first major outcome of their joint development effort, designed to enable reliable resource extraction in the extreme conditions of the Moon.

*A full-scale prototype of the Interlune excavator was developed in partnership with Vermeer. Credits: Intelune, Vermeer*

The excavator’s continuous-operation design reduces dust, power use, and drag compared to conventional digging methods, an essential improvement for lunar efficiency. Following successful sub-scale testing in 2024, the full-size prototype anchors Interlune’s proprietary harvesting system: Excavate, Sort, Extract, and Separate.

The excavator marks a key milestone for the company’s strategic roadmap, and it is undergoing active testing across all major components, from lunar-gravity sorting trials on parabolic flights to cryogenic separation processes at the company’s Seattle lab. Designed for scalability, the system will also support extracting additional lunar resources in future missions to power in-space industry and expand the new Lunar ecosystem.

*A rendering of the Interlune Harvester, incorporating Vermeer’s excavation hardware. Credits: Interlune*

Paving the way for the future lunar economy

Interlune emerged from stealth earlier this year with $18 million in seed funding, led by Seven Seven Six, marking a major step toward commercializing lunar helium-3. “We’re investing in the future of energy and the in-space economy,” said Katelin Holloway, founding partner, who called the team and mission “pretty phenomenal.”

The company has secured public grants and private capital, validating its long-term vision. These include support from the DOE Isotope Program, NASA’s TechFlights initiative, and the National Science Foundation to advance helium-3 separation, regolith sorting, and zero-gravity processing.

Interlune lunar harvesting operation, including harvesters, solar power plant, rover, and return launchers, an artist's rendering. Credits: Interlune — *Interlune lunar harvesting operation, including harvesters, solar power plant, rover, and return launchers, an artist’s rendering. Credits: Interlune*

Two demonstration missions are planned before the decade’s end to validate Interlune’s technology and site selection. A 2027 Resource Development Mission will assess helium-3 concentrations, test extraction systems, and generate data using a commercial lander under NASA’s CLPS initiative.

By 2029, the company aims to deploy a lunar pilot plant to demonstrate every phase of helium-3 harvesting, including returning meaningful quantities to customers on Earth. These efforts pave the way toward a fully operational lunar plant in the early 2030s.