Helium-3: the lunar resource that quantum computing, fusion energy, and the cislunar economy all need

Mar 7, 2026

40:09

forum

Ask episode

view_agenda

Chapters

auto_awesome

Transcript

info_circle

Episode notes

In 2024, quantum computers started running out of helium-3. IBM, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are all building larger quantum data centers, and the dilution refrigerators that keep qubits near absolute zero are already outstripping terrestrial supply.

The US reserve holds 29 kilograms. The moon holds an estimated 1.1 million tons.

Mark and Jeremy sit down with Glen Martin, aerospace engineer, ISS designer, and CEO of the Extraterrestrial Mining Company, to learn why helium-3 may be the single resource that unlocks the cislunar economy.

This episode covers:

What helium-3 actually is, why it barely exists on Earth, and why the moon's surface is saturated with it
Why quantum computers need it to stay below 10 millikelvin, and why supply is already failing to meet demand
Fusion without radioactive waste: why helium-3 is the gold standard fuel for clean energy at a billion degrees
How a private company plans to finance a lunar mine the same way infrastructure developers finance bridges, tunnels, and LNG terminals
China landed on the moon in 2020 and 2024, specifically in the regions with the highest helium-3 concentrations, and brought back samples
Why autonomous AI rovers, not human miners, will sift the lunar regolith
Glen's thesis: helium-3 is the beaver pelt of the space economy, the one thing valuable enough to bring back from the moon that kicks open everything else
There are no Mounties on the moon, but there is the Space Force

📺 Watch on YouTube

Timestamps

(00:00) Trailer

(02:45) What is Helium-3, and why are we mining the Moon?

(05:29) Why there’s almost no Helium-3 on Earth, and a million tons on the Moon

(09:01) How Helium-3 could be harvested from lunar dust

(10:33) Fusion without fallout: the clean-energy promise of Helium-3

(13:01) Space-based solar power and fusion: two paths to future energy.

(17:56) How private companies plan to finance Moon mining

(21:52) The new space race: U.S., China, and the competition for lunar fuel

(25:03) Can treaties prevent conflict over Moon resources?

(27:37) AI, autonomy, and the machines that will mine the Moon