Interlune Wins $6.9 Million NASA Contract to Advance Lunar Helium-3 Resource Extraction

New updates have been reported about Interlune.

Interlune has secured a $6.9 million, 18‑month SBIR Phase III contract from NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate to develop a lunar payload that will heat regolith on the Moon and directly measure volatile gases, including helium‑3 and hydrogen. The firm‑fixed‑price award positions Interlune as a key technology supplier for NASA’s push toward in‑situ resource utilization and a sustainable lunar presence.

The payload, slated for launch readiness in 2028 and intended to fly on a Commercial Lunar Payload Services lander, will collect and size‑sort lunar soil, extract solar wind volatiles through mechanical and thermal processes, and analyze them with a mass spectrometer derived from NASA’s MSOLO instrument. A multispectral camera will help estimate helium‑3 concentrations, generating critical data to calibrate power requirements and system design for Interlune’s future full‑scale helium‑3 harvesting infrastructure.

Interlune will design, build, and test engineering development units and flight hardware, incorporating a robotic arm and scoop, size‑sorting hardware, volatile extraction devices, imaging, and gas analysis into a single integrated system. Chief scientist Dr. Elizabeth Frank said the mission will deliver the first on‑Moon measurements of gases released by heated lunar regolith, substantially improving scientific knowledge of lunar volatiles while directly informing commercial extraction parameters.

CEO Rob Meyerson framed the contract as a strategic step in building the lunar economy, noting that NASA’s continued investment accelerates dual‑use technologies for both government and industry customers. Data from the mission will guide Interlune’s roadmap for a commercial helium‑3 plant and related lunar resource systems that could also support infrastructure for NASA’s Artemis Moon Base, including construction, thermal management, and payload return capabilities.

Financially, the award adds to a growing backlog anchored by nearly $500 million in binding purchase orders for helium‑3 from the U.S. Department of Energy and quantum computing customers, providing early market validation for Interlune’s business model. The company, founded in 2020 and backed by $18 million in equity funding plus multiple government contracts, ultimately plans to expand from helium‑3 into other lunar resources such as industrial metals, rare earth elements, and water, aiming to become a foundational supplier to a broader in‑space economy.