"Patent Publication Discloses Advances In Moon Mining Technology"

In her latest column in ENR exploring innovation in outer space, Marshall Gerstein Partner Kate Nuehring Su discusses advances in moon mining technology.

One example of the patenting activity seen in this sector involves Helium-3, an isotope of ordinary balloon gas that has the potential to power nuclear fusion plants without generating radioactive waste. "It also has other applications in medical imaging and quantum computing," Kate writes in ENR. "Helium 3 is rare on the Earth but is relatively plentiful on the Moon thanks to billions of years of deposits by solar winds. With some price estimates for Helium-3 at a staggering $20 million or more per kilogram, mining it may provide the economic justification for permanent settlements on the moon."