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Space Resources

Lunar resources firm Interlune makes helium-bearing Moon soil simulant

By SpaceEnergy 26 August 2026 1 min read
Lunar resources firm Interlune makes helium-bearing Moon soil simulant
A view inside the vacuum chamber at Interlune HQ where helium gas was ionized and accelerated into the Moon dirt (regolith) simulant for implantation. Source: Interlune

(SpaceEnergy) US lunar resources company Interlune has successfully implanted and extracted helium-4 from simulated Moon soil, creating material designed to improve terrestrial testing of lunar resource-extraction hardware.

The Seattle, Washington-based company implanted helium ions into ilmenite, the principal helium-bearing mineral in lunar regolith, reproducing nearly 15,000 years of solar-wind exposure in about four hours.

Interlune then heated the material and measured helium release between about 300°C and 800°C, consistent with the broad temperature range observed in Apollo lunar samples. The company said this validates its method for producing high-fidelity, volatile-bearing regolith simulant.

Interlune can produce the material in quantities ranging from grams to kilograms and plans to offer simulant and testing services to companies, research institutions and government customers. Hydrogen implantation is planned next.

The company will also use the material to test its lunar Harvesting System, which mechanically releases volatile gases from regolith. Interlune says the approach could use up to 10 times less power than thermal extraction methods that heat regolith to nearly 1,000°C.

Interlune is developing technology to harvest helium-3 and other lunar resources and has a $6.9m NASA contract for lunar volatile measurement and extraction technology.

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