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[TECHNOLOGY] · United States, Japan, Spain · 4 sources

Part of situation: Global competition for lunar resources (2 clusters)

Lunar mining becomes a strategic focus for global powers and private firms

lunar mining helium-3 space race space exploration resource extraction

The pursuit of lunar mining is transitioning from science fiction to a strategic reality as global powers and private companies compete to extract extraterrestrial resources. While the United States leads in commercial launches and crewed flights, China is focusing heavily on robotic lunar missions and orbital infrastructure.

Private enterprises are already advancing specific technologies. Seattle-based Interlune intends to deploy a multispectral camera to the Moon by the end of the year to map helium-3 concentrations. Meanwhile, Japan’s Ispace is working on energy-efficient, non-destructive recovery systems for the isotope. Helium-3 is highly valued for its potential use in future fusion technology, with estimates suggesting a price of 30 million dollars per kilogram.

Other targeted materials include titanium and rare earth elements. In the private sector, the Madrid-based startup Hispansion, founded in 2023, is already producing lunar regolith simulant from terrestrial materials to support these emerging space industries.

Entities

China · Hispansion · Interlune · Moon · United States · ispace

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Sources

La minería en la Luna, el sueño de las grandes potencias que deja de ser ciencia ficción [www.informacion.es]
La minería en la Luna, el sueño de las grandes potencias que deja de ser ciencia ficción [www.farodevigo.es]
La minería en la Luna, el sueño de las grandes potencias que deja de ser ciencia ficción [www.elcorreoweb.es]
La minería en la Luna, el sueño de las grandes potencias que deja de ser ciencia ficción [www.levante-emv.com]