Seattle-based space resources company Interlune has secured a $6.9 million contract from NASA to develop technology capable of extracting gases like helium-3 and hydrogen from lunar regolith and rock samples.
Under an 18-month Small Business Innovation Research Phase III grant, the system will undergo development and Earth-based testing before being transported to the lunar surface aboard a commercial robotic lander in 2028. According to Interlune, this initiative aligns with the company’s broader strategy to harvest and commercialize lunar helium-3 for terrestrial uses, including quantum computing, medical imaging, neutron detection, and commercial nuclear fusion
applications.
Company co-founder and CEO Rob Meyerson stated in today’s announcement that the project collects valuable data while pushing forward technologies beneficial to both private industry and government agencies. He emphasized that NASA’s continued support of space technology development enables projects like this that help maintain American dominance in establishing the lunar economy.
The payload designed by Interlune will feature several key components: a robotic arm with a scoop for collecting lunar regolith, a device that sorts particles, equipment to heat lunar materials and capture released gases, a multispectral camera designed to measure helium-3 concentrations, and a mass spectrometer for gas analysis.
Chief scientist Elizabeth Frank highlighted the groundbreaking nature of the mission, noting that measuring volatile gases through heating lunar regolith directly on the moon represents a first-time
achievement. This data collection will significantly enhance scientific understanding of regolith properties while also revealing the power requirements necessary for extracting resources such as helium-3.
This contract expands upon Interlune’s earlier work developing payload prototypes and conducting tests aboard parabolic airplane flights that replicate lunar gravity conditions. The company has announced plans to deploy a camera to the moon on California-based Astrolab’s FLIP rover as early as this summer for a demonstration mission called Crescent Moon. Additionally, Astrolab revealed in March its collaboration with Interlune to incorporate resource extraction equipment onto future lunar rovers.
The NASA-funded mission, designated Prospect Moon, aims to collect data on volatile material concentrations deposited across the moon’s surface by solar wind. Subsequent missions could concentrate on extracting hydrogen for rocket propellant and other lunar energy applications, while also harvesting helium-3 for return to Earth.
According to Interlune, the company has already secured nearly $500 million in binding purchase agreements for helium-3 from quantum computing firms, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Department of the Air Force. For initial deliveries, Interlune intends to extract helium-3 from terrestrial natural gas sources while developing full-scale lunar infrastructure.
While helium-3 represents Interlune’s initial resource target, the company envisions expanding its operations over time to extract additional valuable materials from lunar regolith, including industrial metals, rare earth elements, and water.
Interlune was established in 2020 and announced raising $18 million in seed funding in 2024. This past January, the company revealed an additional $5 million investment offering designed to advance critical technical milestones in its development roadmap.