Will the global annual supply of Helium-3 (He-3) successfully extracted from lunar regolith be commercially available before the end of 2028?

Lunar Helium-3: Commercial Supply by 2028

Helium-3 (He-3) is a rare isotope on Earth but abundant in lunar regolith, making it a theoretically ideal fuel for future clean fusion reactors. This prediction is that the global annual supply of He-3 successfully extracted from lunar regolith will be commercially available before the end of 2028.

The Massive Engineering Challenge

The overwhelming 'No' vote reflects the immense, likely insurmountable engineering and economic hurdles in this timeframe. It requires:

• **Lunar Base/Habitat:** The establishment of a long-term, self-sufficient base capable of supporting heavy industrial machinery.
• **Massive Scale Mining:** Development of technologies to heat and process vast amounts of regolith to extract the minute quantities of He-3.
• **Return Vehicle:** Commercial viability relies on a low-cost, high-volume Earth return system.

While lunar resource exploration is progressing, full commercial availability of He-3 by 2028 is a decade ahead of even the most optimistic mainstream projections.