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Lunar Source of3He for Commercial Fusion Power
Abstract
An analysis of astrophysical information indicates that the solar wind has deposited an abundant, easily extractable source of 3He onto the surface of the moon. Apollo lunar samples indicate that the moon’s surface soil contains ∼109 kg of 3He. If this amount of 3He were to be used in a 50% efficient D-3He fusion reactor, it would provide 107 GW(electric)·yr of electrical power. The energy required to extract 3He from the lunar regolith and transport it to earth is calculated to be ∼2400 GJ/kg. Since the D-3He reaction produces 6 × 105 GJ of energy per kilogram of 3He, the energy payback ratio is ∼250. Implications for the commercialization of D-3He fusion reactors and for the development of fusion power are discussed.
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“It is estimated that the reserves of 3 He within the lunar regolith range from a few hundred thousand tons to a few million tons, 137-140 presenting an energy potential ten times greater than the recoverable fossil fuels on Earth. 141”
From Energy system and resource utilization in space: A state-of-the-art review (2024) · cites this paper as [137]
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References 26 · Cited by 255
Research works printed but not linked: 15
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Metadata
- Authors
- Wittenberg, L. J., Santarius, J. F., & Kulcinski, G. L.
- Affiliations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Venue
- Fusion Technology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 1986-09
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 167-178
- ISSN
- 0748-1896 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2742185811
- Cited by
- 255
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 13.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Fusion Technology (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Lamar University
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Fusion materials and technologies
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Nuclear and High Energy Physics › Cold Fusion and Nuclear Reactions
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Nuclear and High Energy Physics › Magnetic confinement fusion research
- Keywords
- helium-3, lunar helium-3, solar wind, lunar regolith, D-3He fusion, lunar resource extraction, commercial fusion power, Apollo samples
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