The Moon may hold more than 1 million tonnes of helium-3

Helium 3 is an isotope of helium that is exceptionally rare on Earth, but scientists believe the Moon's surface contains larger amounts. Helium 3 has attracted attention for its potential use as a fuel for future nuclear fusion. It is estimated that, in theory, 25–30 tons of Helium 3 could power the entire United States for a year. In addition, unlike today's conventional nuclear fuels, helium-3 could enable clean energy production with far less radioactive waste.

That is one reason the Moon is gaining renewed strategic importance. As space agencies and private companies plan lunar bases, prospecting missions, and long-term surface operations, helium-3 is often mentioned as a possible resource for the future space economy.

However, Helium 3 is extremely dilute in lunar regolith, so extraction would require processing vast amounts of soil. Fusion technology itself remains scientifically proven, but not yet commercially ready.

Therefore, commercial fusion based on helium-3 remains uncertain and technologically distant, but its promise links energy, geopolitics, and lunar exploration in a powerful way and already shapes strategic thinking about the Moon as a future resource frontier.