Can helium-3 create a ‘gold rush’ on the moon?

Helium-3, an ultra-rare element worth $20 million per kilogram on Earth, may exist in enormous quantities on the moon — potentially enough to fuel a multitrillion-dollar industry. The solar wind has been depositing helium-3 onto the lunar surface for billions of years, where it gets trapped in minerals. Companies like Seattle-based Interlune are developing extraction technology, backed by a recent $6.9 million NASA contract, targeting a robotic mining mission by 2028.