Moon Helium-3: The expensive hunt for a future fusion fuel

Helium-3, a costly isotope used in cooling quantum computers and potentially powering future fusion reactors, is currently produced mainly from tritium decay in nuclear weapons; as demand grows, researchers look to lunar regolith as a new source. Startups like Interlune and Astrotech are developing lunar mining concepts with targets around 2027, but extracting helium-3 on the Moon faces uncertainty over concentrations and economics. Earth-based alternatives and ongoing research keep the prospect speculative for now.