A company proposing to harvest helium-3 from the Moon is making progress despite significant challenges. Interlune, which aims to commercially extract and process lunar regolith, has partnered with Vermeer Corporation to build an excavator capable of handling 100 metric tons of simulated lunar material per hour.
While on Earth, operating conditions are vastly different from those on the lunar surface, the excavator’s performance offers a promising proof-of-concept. Interlune’s CEO, Rob Meyerson, stated that they’ve gathered the necessary data for designing the next version of the machine, which is already underway. This modest achievement marks a positive development in the company’s ambitious plans to bring helium-3 to market.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/06/a-long-shot-plan-to-mine-the-moon-comes-a-little-closer-to-reality