Former Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson and former Chief Architect Gary Lai have founded a company called Interlune.
Interlune aims to become the first private company to mine natural resources on the moon.
The startup plans to initially focus on helium-3, a stable isotope of helium that is rare and limited in supply on Earth but abundant on the moon.
Former Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson and former Chief Architect Gary Lai have founded a company called Interlune, which aims to become the first private company to mine natural resources on the moon. The startup plans to initially focus on helium-3, a stable isotope of helium that is rare and limited in supply on Earth but abundant on the moon. Helium-3 could be used for applications like quantum computing, medical imaging and fusion reactors. Interlune will excavate huge amounts of lunar soil (regolith), process it, and extract the helium-3 gas before shipping it back to Earth. The company plans to have a pilot plant on the moon by 2028 and begin operations by 2030.
, Interlune will initially focus on helium-3, which is abundant on the moon.
Helium-3 could be used for applications like quantum computing, medical imaging and fusion reactors.
Interlune plans to excavate huge amounts of lunar soil (regolith), process it and extract the helium-3 gas.
Rob Meyerson, one of Interlune's founders and former Blue Origin president, said that harvesting natural resources from the Moon is technologically and economically feasible.
The company aims to have a pilot plant on the moon by 2028 and begin operations by 2030.
There are growing demand for Helium-3 across burgeoning and potentially massive industries according to Interlune's investors.
Accuracy
Helium-3 is difficult to produce on Earth and typically comes from the radioactive decay of tritium in nuclear reactors. On the Moon, the gas is scattered across the surface, brought from the Sun on solar winds
Interlune aims to conduct prospecting mission and pilot mission for its harvester in 2026 and 2028 respectively, with initial commercial operations beginning in 2030
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Interlune will be the first private company to mine natural resources from the moon when this is not true. In fact, there are already companies like Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries who have been working on mining asteroids for years. Secondly, while it's true that helium-3 is abundant on the moon and could be used for various applications on Earth, the article fails to disclose any scientific evidence or studies supporting this claim. Lastly, Interlune claims that its lunar harvester will excavate huge amounts of regolith and extract helium-3 gas which would then be shipped back to Earth. However, there is no information provided on how they plan to achieve this without causing significant environmental damage to the moon's surface.
The article claims that Interlune will be the first private company to mine natural resources from the moon when in fact there are already companies like Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries who have been working on mining asteroids for years.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Interlune's plan is technologically and economically feasible without providing any evidence or data to support this claim.
> Rob Meyerson, one of Interlune’s founders and former Blue Origin president, said the company hopes to fly its harvester with one of the upcoming commercial moon missions backed by NASA. <
> The resource it's targeting, helium-3, could be used on Earth for applications like quantum computing, medical imaging and, perhaps some day down the line, as fuel for fusion reactors. <
. The surface of the Moon has been bombarded by solar wind, carrying high-energy particles that include a highly coveted resource, helium-3.
. Helium-3 is in demand by several industries including those working on quantum computing and nuclear fusion reactors.
One company is willing to go all the way to the Moon to get helium-3. Seattle based startup Interlune recently announced that it raised $15 million in funding as part of its plan to harvest and sell natural resources from the Moon.
. There are no regulations set in place yet which adds an added risk of the race to extract as much resources as possible altering the makeup of the Moon or other objects in space.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(0%)
The article is highly deceptive because it does not provide any evidence or sources for the claims made by Interlune and its investors. The author relies on vague statements that are not backed up by facts or data. For example, the author says that helium-3 has become in demand by several industries without specifying which ones or how much they need it. Similarly, the author cites Alexis Ohanian as an investor without mentioning his qualifications or expertise in the field of lunar resource extraction. The article also does not address any potential risks or challenges associated with harvesting helium-3 from the Moon, such as environmental impacts, legal issues, technical difficulties, or competition from other companies. By failing to provide any contextual information or critical analysis, the author is misleading the readers and promoting a biased perspective on Interlune's project.
Similarly, the author cites Alexis Ohanian as an investor without mentioning his qualifications or expertise in the field of lunar resource extraction.
The article also does not address any potential risks or challenges associated with harvesting helium-3 from the Moon, such as environmental impacts, legal issues, technical difficulties, or competition from other companies.
The article is highly deceptive because it does not provide any evidence or sources for the claims made by Interlune and its investors. The author relies on vague statements that are not backed up by facts or data. For example, the author says that helium-3 has become in demand by several industries without specifying which ones or how much they need it.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when stating that Interlune's investors believe access to natural resources on the Moon will unlock technological advancements. This is not a logical fallacy as it does not rely on any false or misleading information, but rather presents the opinion of experts in their field.
The company wants to initially focus on harvesting helium-3, which it can sell to government and commercial customers in the national security, quantum computing, medical imaging, and fusion energy industries.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the idea of mining resources from the Moon. The author uses language that portrays Interlune's mission as a positive and groundbreaking development for humanity, while also highlighting potential risks associated with resource extraction. Additionally, the article mentions other companies working on similar projects and NASA's plans to explore resource mining in space.
Helium-3 has been deemed so precious that one company is willing to go all the way to the Moon to get it.
Former Blue Origin President leads Helium-3 Moon mining mission
Harrison Schmitt is the only living member of NASA's last crewed mission to the Moon: Apollo 17 in 1972 and a geologist
Interlune aims to conduct prospecting mission and pilot mission for its harvester in 2026 and 2038 respectively, with initial commercial operations beginning in 2030
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that helium-3 is expensive enough to warrant going to the Moon and bringing it back to Earth. However, this statement contradicts itself as there are no known uses for helium-3 on Earth.
The element is difficult to produce on Earth and typically comes from the radioactive decay of tritium in nuclear reactors.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that Harrison Schmitt is the only living member of NASA's last crewed mission to the Moon and a geologist. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing helium-3 as expensive enough to warrant going to the Moon and bringing it back, despite not providing any evidence for this claim.
Harrison Schmitt is the only living member of NASA's last crewed mission to the Moon
helium-3 is expensive enough to warrant going to the Moon and bringing it back
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the company Interlune and its mission to mine helium-3 on the Moon. The author uses quotes from executives of Interlune to promote their product and plans without providing any counterarguments or alternative perspectives.
> Helium-3 has been accumulating on the lunar surface for billions of years but only recently has become in vogue on Earth, where developers of quantum supercomputers prize it for its ability to be chilled to near absolute zero and act as a coolant for superconductors.
Interlune aims to sell helium-3 element to quantum computer and nuclear fusion developers
Profits and lessons earned from successfully harvesting helium-3 would be reinvested into additional space infrastructure businesses.
Interlune is a startup that aims to become the first private company to mine natural resources on the moon and sell them back on Earth.
Helium-3 could be used for applications like quantum computing, medical imaging and fusion reactors.
The surface of the Moon has been bombarded by solar wind, carrying high-energy particles that include a highly coveted resource, helium-3.
There is growing demand for Helium-3 across burgeoning and potentially massive industries according to Interlune's investors.
Accuracy
The material does not occur naturally on Earth and exists in only very limited quantities from nuclear weapons tests, nuclear reactors, and radioactive decay. A single liter costs a few thousand dollars.
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title suggests that mining helium-3 on the Moon has been talked about forever when it hasn't. Secondly, the author claims that there are customers who want to buy helium-3 today when no such evidence is provided and it's not clear if this claim is true or false. Lastly, the article presents a one-sided view of Interlune's business plan without providing any counterarguments or alternative perspectives.
The title suggests that mining helium-3 on the Moon has been talked about forever when it hasn't.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article discusses the potential for mining helium-3 on the Moon and its implications. The author mentions that Interlune is a company founded by two former Blue Origin employees who seek to extract helium-3 from the lunar surface, return it to Earth, and sell it for applications here. However, there are several fallacies present in this article.
The statement 'Enlarge / That's no spice harvester. It's an extractor pulling helium-3 from the lunar surface.' is a false analogy as mining and harvesting are two different processes.
Bias
(85%)
The article discusses a company's plans to extract helium-3 from the lunar surface and sell it for applications on Earth. The author mentions that there has been no wealth creation in previous space activities and that NASA is currently the customer. This suggests a potential bias towards monetary gain, as well as an emphasis on commercialization rather than scientific discovery or exploration.
The company seeks to extract helium-3 from the lunar surface, return it to Earth, and sell it for applications here.
