Moon miner signs up robotics firms for Helium-3 mission
Black Moon Energy said it has engaged contractors to oversee robotic systems for a mission targeting Helium-3, a potential source of fusion fuel.
Black Moon Energy, a Houston-based company, is planning a robotic mission to the lunar surface to collect data and perform operations intended to de-risk Helium-3 production from the Moon.
The company said, in a statement, detailed contract engagements with specialist companies that will help it scope a potential moon mining operation.
BMEC will lead mission management, resource-assessment strategy and large-scale operations planning, it said, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech, which manages JPL, have been engaged to oversee the mission’s robotic systems, scientific instrumentation, data acquisition and mission operations.
“By combining Black Moon’s expertise in resource development with JPL and Caltech’s renowned scientific and engineering capabilities, we are building the knowledge base required to power a new era of clean, abundant, and affordable energy for the entire planet,” said David Warden, CEO of BMEC.
The company added that its founders and leadership team bring experience from the energy, space and legal sectors, including projects ranging from Prudhoe Bay and Kazakhstan to the International Space Station.
The company said Helium-3 is scarce on Earth but plentiful on the Moon and described it as an ideal fusion fuel.
Helium-3 fusion releases four million times more energy than combustion of fossil fuels and four times more energy than traditional nuclear fission, produces no primary radioactive products, and could simplify power plant configuration (but may have to go to space to get some).
BMEC said an initial year-long expedition will provide the first decision-quality dataset to support potential applications including fusion power generation, national security systems, quantum computing, radiation detection, medical imaging and cryogenic technologies.
The Recap
- Black Moon Energy engages JPL and Caltech for lunar mission.
- Mission will gather the first decision-quality Helium-3 dataset.
- Initial expedition will last one year to collect operational data.
