Quantum cryogenics manufacturer Bluefors is betting big on Interlune, a startup that aims to extract Helium-3 from the lunar surface by 2028.
For billions of years, solar winds have bombarded the Moon. Over time, this constant onslaught of charged particles has caused helium-3 to accumulate in the lunar surface. This isotope is rare on Earth, and rising demand from several industries—including quantum computing—has incentivized some companies to explore the possibility of lunar mining.
One such company is Interlune, a Seattle-based startup that aims to extract natural resources—primarily helium-3—from the lunar surface. Interlune eventually hopes to sell its harvested helium-3 to government and commercial customers in the national security, medical imaging, fusion energy, and quantum computing industries—and it just struck a major commercial deal.The largest purchase of lunar resources yet
On Tuesday, Interlune announced a partnership with Bluefors, a leading manufacturer of dilution refrigerators and one of the world’s largest consumers of helium-3. Its continuous cooling systems use helium-3 to keep quantum computers running at the ultra-low temperatures required for maintaining qubit stability and reliable operation.
