Interlune is a private, US-based space resources company, classified as an institution in the emerging international space economy. It was founded in 2020 by former Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson, former Blue Origin Chief Architect Gary Lai, and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt. The company's core mission is to commercialize natural resources from the Moon, initially focusing on extracting and transporting Helium-3 (He-3) back to Earth.
The problem Interlune seeks to solve is the scarcity of Helium-3 on Earth, which is a stable isotope abundant in lunar soil, or regolith, implanted by the solar wind. He-3 is a critical resource for terrestrial applications like cooling superconducting quantum computers, medical imaging, and is a preferred fuel for clean fusion energy reactions.
Interlune's mechanism centers on its proprietary Harvesting System, which is designed to be smaller, lighter, and require 10x less power than traditional concepts for lunar resource extraction. This system uses mechanical and thermal processes to excavate regolith, sort it by size, and release the trapped volatile gases, including He-3 and hydrogen. The company plans to integrate this payload onto a commercial lander through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program for a mission slated for 2028.
The concept connects directly to the broader international effort of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and the Artemis program, which aims to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon. Interlune has recently secured a $6.9 million SBIR Phase III contract from NASA in May 2026 to develop its payload suite. Furthermore, the company has secured nearly $500 million in binding purchase orders for He-3, including an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to purchase three liters of lunar He-3 for delivery by April 2029. This commercial success is intended to fund the development of secondary lunar infrastructure, such as hydrogen extraction for rocket propellant.