Thursday / 7 August 2014

China Lunar Program May Develop Lunar Mining Potential

ChinaHelium3_0814

Sole Country Operating On Lunar Surface May Be Eyeing Lucrative Moon Mining Operation; Chief Scientist Of China Lunar Exploration Program Ziyuan Ouyang Notes Lunar Helium-3 Could ‘Solve Humanity’s Energy Demand For Around 10,000 Years At Least’; He-3 Estimated At 13 Parts Per Billion By Weight In Lunar Regolith, Or ~1,100,000 Tonnes Total; Estimates On Potential Economic Value Of The He-3 Gas Is US$3B / Tonne, Estimated Cost For Fusion Development & Starting Lunar Operations ~US$20B Over 2 Decades; China Has Expressed Interest, Has Not Outlined Concrete Plans To Mine Moon For He-3

Image Credit: Moon Society, cyberphysics.com