WEB DESK: The future lunar mining industry will be a trillion-dollar business – and Japan will invest $4 trillion in this regard.
The Moon is believed to contain between one and three million tons of a rare gas known as Helium-3 enough to power Earth for the next 10,000 years.
Japanese lunar exploration company is pace has partnered with lunar extraction firm Magna Petra to harvest Helium-3 on the Moon and deliver it back to Earth.
“The cislunar economy will be dependent on many important resources other than water,” Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of is pace, stated. “And it is important to work to make use of these resources.”
Helium-3 is extremely scarce on Earth, accounting for only about 0.0001% of the planet’s helium supply. It is believed to be trapped in the Moon’s outer layers of regolith, where it can be extracted relatively easily.
The gas holds immense potential for use in nuclear fusion, a near-limitless energy source, without producing dangerous radioactive waste.
According to the Lunar and Planetary Institute, just one gram of Helium-3 would cost approximately $1,400. This means one ton would be worth around $1.26 billion, making three million tons valued at an estimated $3.78 trillion.
