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Humans have long been transfixed by the moon, awed and inspired by its reassuring presence in the night sky and its influence on the tides. In recent decades, though, our fascination with our nearest celestial neighbor has become somewhat more opportunistic: The moon contains valuable resources, and governments and companies are eager to get their hands on them. One such resource is helium-3 (He-3), a gas that some experts say could unlock clean and abundant energy on Earth as a fuel for fusion. Its this gas that Interlune, a Seattle-based startup, has its sights on. The company wants to be the first to commercialize space resources, starting with He-3, which it plans to begin harvesting from the moon and selling on Earth by the end of the decade. Helium-3 is used mostly in medical diagnostics and national security, but it has great potential to unlock groundbreaking technological advancements, the most tantalizing of which is nuclear fusion. Fusion is what powers the stars, and as the climate crisis deepens, scientists are desperately trying to harness it in reactors to produce abundant energy without the use of fossil fuels. He-3 is a desirable fuel for fusion reactors because it would produce very little dangerous radioactive waste. [Photo: Interlune] Helium-3 fusion reactors open up the opportunity to have power available for people on Earth in a way that’s never been available before, says Aaron Olson, a research physicist at NASAs Kennedy Space Center who has studied helium-3 extraction. And that’s not only for those of us who happen to live in areas where we have grids that function really well, but it could bring energy to people who live in areas like sub-Saharan Africa, where 90% of the population doesn’t have access to electricity. The problem is that He-3 is extremely rare on Earth, and therefore very expensive. A kilogram of the stuff will set you back roughly $20 million. Most of the terrestrial supply comes from the decay of tritium, which is a byproduct of nuclear reactors and aging nuclear weapons. The United States has been rationing He-3 since 2010. By contrast, the moon holds an abundance of He-3. The isotope is emitted from the suns corona and carried through the solar wind, and because the moon isnt protected by an atmosphere or magnetic field, these particles have been embedding themselves in the lunar soilor regolithfor billions of years. Recent estimates suggest the moon has about 1.1 million metric tons of He-3, compared to Earths reserves of just 1.6 tons. Helium-3 is the only resource worth going all the way to the moon and back for, Interlunes director of business development, Nina Hooper, explained. Now its up to us to go develop the technology thats going to help us extract it. Interlunes plan is to send its harvesters to an area thats about a mile wide and located near the moons equator on its near side, or the side thats always visible to Earth. These unmanned machines will dig into the top three meters of lunar regolith, crush the rocks, extract the He-3 gas, and then put the regolith back where it belongs. When were done, it looks like a tilled field, says Interlune CEO and cofounder Rob Meyerson, who previously served as president of Blue Origin. Interlune is aiming to start with two test missions, one in 2027 and another in 2029, to measure He-3 levels on the moon, harvest it on a small scale, and bring some back to Earth. It wants to go to market with 20 kilograms of He-3 in 2030, ramping up to 100 kilograms over five years. That will do a great job to stabilize the supply chain, Meyerson adds. [Photo: Interlune] Could it also unlock the future of clean energy? Despite promising advances in fusion science, commercial fusion is still a ways off. There is still a lot of work to be done before a functional reactor goes online, says NASAs Olson. There are still questions that persist as to how quickly that can happen. An abundance of He-3 for fusion research could, however, help speed up that process. In the meantime, Interlune has another sector in mind for its first target market: quantum computing. This market is projected to balloon between now and 2030, with big tech players like IBM, Nvidia, and Apple pouring billions into quantum tech research and development with the hopes of creating breakthrough innovations and rapidly solving stubborn problems across science, medicine, and other fields. Helium-3 helps keep these supercomputers cool enough to function efficiently, and Meyerson says Interlune has already secured contracts with more than one company and letters of intent for more than a billion dollars worth of He-3 even before it has demonstrated its technology. These customers are relatively price insensitive, so they’re willing to pay something near the current market price, and they’re really, really eager to secure supply, he says. This week, Interlune announced Maybell Quantum, a quantum infrastructure compny, as its first commercial customer. Maybell agreed to buy thousands of liters of He-3 to be delivered between 2029 and 2035. The U.S. Department of Energy has also agreed to buy He-3 from Interlune in its quest to top up its reserves. Not everyone is eager to see the moon become an industrial hub, though. Astronomers are particularly worried about mining because the moon is an important outpost for space science thanks to how quiet, still, and cold it is. For example, the far-side of the moon is the most radio quiet part of the inner solar system, explains Richard Green, an astronomer emeritus at the University of Arizonas Steward Observatory and a vocal advocate for preserving lunar science. That makes it the best place to use radio astronomy to learn about the universe and look for signs of life beyond Earth. If the mining equipment is next door and blasting rocks and digging things up, that would just be inconsistent with the stable platform that those really sensitive detections need, Green adds. [Photo: Interlune] He and other researchers want to see the creation of an international system that evaluates claims to certain regions on the moon and allows scientists to reserve sites in advance so they can study the area before any mining takes place. Its not that there’s anything wrong with mining, it’s a legitimate activity, he says. But so is science. How do we set up a system of communication and coordination that doesn’t lead to conflict? The existing rules around space mining are fairly new, and dont offer much help. A 2015 U.S. law ruled that private American companies can own any space resources they mine. In 2020, NASAs Artemis Accords sought to introduce some guidelines on the practice of harvesting space resources, stating that any extraction must be done in compliance with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. That means countries carrying out mining would have to do so for the benefit of all mankind. Theyd have to avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies, and would be liable for any damage they cause. All of that said, regulations might be hard to enforce. There are no police that are going to land on the moon, says Green. (Neither China nor Russia have signed onto the Artemis Accords, which arent legally binding anyway.) Meyerson is quick to underscore that what Interlune wants to do isnt traditional mining. There are no chemicals used to strip the helium-3 out of the material, he says. You’re not leaving contaminated tailings behind. So as far as comparing this to mining, it’s just 180 degrees apart. He believes that by being the first to harvest moon resources, Interlune can set the standard as the lunar gold rush accelerates. Eventually, Interlune plans to expand its scope to harvest other lunar resources that could be used to build infrastructure and produce rocket fuel on the moon, all of which could serve as a stepping stone for future space exploration. We’re in this for the long run of building an in-space economy, says Meyerson. We would be processing other resources on the moon, like water that we can turn into rocket fuel, metals like aluminum and titanium and silicon, and then construction material. Some proponents of space mining also argue its an environmental Hail Mary. There is the notion of the Earth becoming an oasis, says Olson. Its an idea that harvesting resources, whether it be the moon or other places in space, could help us preserve the Earth for future generations in a way where maybe we’re not doing as much damaging extractive work on Earth, and some of that could be put in places that are, for lack of a better term, barren.
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E-Commerce
Influencers often face more negativity than most people experience in a lifetimeand with that comes a significant mental health toll. Now, a new therapy service has been launched specifically for content creators. CreatorCare, cofounded by digital creator Shira Lazar and backed by Creators 4 Mental Health and Revive Health Therapy, aims to break down both financial and systemic barriers to mental health care. While some creators earn millions of dollars, many struggle to make ends meet. To ensure therapy is accessible to all, CreatorCare offers sliding-scale rates starting at $60, with or without insurance. Launched initially in California, with plans for national expansion, the program provides licensed and associate therapists in person and via telehealth. These professionals specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based therapy. With more than 200 million creators worldwide, the mental strain of this profession is often overlooked. Behind the scenes, creators deal with online abuse, constant pressure to stay relevant, and financial instabilitychallenges that rarely receive public sympathy. Discussions around burnout are frequently met with dismissive remarks urging influencers to get a real 9-to-5 job. But the numbers tell a different story. A 2023 Awin & ShareASale Influencer Survey found that nearly 80% of creators reported burnout, and 66% said it directly impacted their mental health. Nearly half rely on alternative income streams to reduce the pressure. Lazar, host of the talk show Whats Trending, is now helping to build a safety net for creators. The creator economy has exploded but the support systems havent kept up, she told Passionfruit. As more Gen Z step into this space professionally, we need to treat it like the real workplace it is. That means sustainable systems not just for monetization, but for mental health, too. Amy Kelly, cofounder of CreatorCare and CEO of Revive Health Therapy, echoed that sentiment: Social media is not just a platformits a recruiter,” she said, noting that 57% of Gen Z teens in the U.S. say they would become influencers if given the chance. Were grooming teens into a digital workforce with proven mental health hazardsthe modern equivalent of sending kids into coal mines without protective gear. CreatorCare isnt the only initiative addressing creators well-being. SAG-AFTRAs new influencer committee aims to expand labor protections, while the National Association of Broadcasters recently launched a Creator Council to amplify creators voices. The Creators Guild of America also released a contract rider to safeguard creators in brand partnerships. Because, yes, content creation is a real job.
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E-Commerce
If someone driving a new version of a Subaru Forester crashes into a cyclist, an airbag will immediately inflate on the hood to help protect the person on the bike. The SUV, which offers the feature only on vehicles sold in Japan, isnt the first Subaru to include an external airbag. The company started including pedestrian protection airbags on its Japanese cars nearly a decade ago. But the brand says the new design is the first in the world intended to also protect cyclists. Its a basic, commonsense idea. Airbags have been proven to be effective to protect the occupants in a vehicle, says Ben Crowther, policy director for America Walks, a nonprofit focused on walkability and safety. And theres plenty of testing to show that the same is true for people outside vehicles. The Foresters hood is also designed to have as few hard parts as possible, and to easily deform to help cushion the impact of a crash. But the bottom edge of the windshield and the pillars that go up to the roof have to stay rigid because theyre part of the frame. When a pedestrian is hit by a car, head injuries are most likely in those placesand thats where Subarus U-shaped airbag can help. In a crash, the cyclist usually ends up higher on the windshield. That’s why the company redesigned its airbag to cover a larger area. The system deploys when sensors detect a certain amount of pressure on the front bumper. The vehicle has a suite of other safety features. When a driver turns on the turn signal at a corner, for example, the headlights light up an area diagonally in front, making it easier to spot pedestrians or cyclists on the road. A set of three cameras and radar offer a wider-angle view than in the brand’s previous cars, so it’s more likely to spot other road users. The vehicle also aims to reduce blind spots in all directions. These are all efforts toward Subaru’s goal to have no traffic deaths involving its cars by 2030. Of course, it’s possible to go even furtherone of the best ways to make vehicles safer is to make them smaller. Beyond car design, infrastructure also obviously matters: With separated bike lanes, for example, a crash is less likely in the first place. Speed limits are critical. If youre a pedestrian who gets hit by a car going 20 mph, one study found that you have a 5% chance of being killed. If the car is going 30 mph, that chance jumps to 45%. At 40 mph, the pedestrians chance of being killed is roughly 80%. (Japan has lower average speed limits than the U.S., along with other policies that support pedestrian safety, and much lower fatality rates for pedestrians and cyclists in traffic accidents.) External airbags aren’t a panacea, but they can help. It’s probably unlikely, though, that they’ll show up in the U.S. anytime soon, especially as automakers are already struggling to deal with increased manufacturing costs because of tariffs. And while the Biden administration was working on safety issues related to vehicle design, it’s not clear what will happen with policy now. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy “has certainly touted safety as something that his U.S. DOT wants to pursue,” Crowther says. “But there’s a lot of mixed messages, particularly through the reducing in staff at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.” The cuts at NHTSA made by the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year disproportionately affected employees working on vehicle safety, according to reports.
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E-Commerce
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