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India expects to start mining helium-3 on the moon by 2030
Professor of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Sivathan Pillai told IANS about India’s intention to start mining helium-3 on the moon by 2030. The scientist claims that the preparation of such a mission is a priority for its organization and is already underway. Within ten years, the government of India intends to implement its plan, and by 2030 promises to establish industrial production of the helium isotope.
India’s space program is developing rapidly. The country has recognized the need to develop new space technologies and is working on them. In parallel with technical and scientific instruments, India is developing new laws and relevant government organizations that regulate space expansion.
To produce helium-3 on the moon is going not only India, but also China. This is a very promising source of energy. However, it can only be used if a person learns to control the thermonuclear reaction for a long time. It seems that since India and China are actively working on helium-3 production programs, they have no doubt that fusion reactors will be built. Scientists have calculated that 0.02 grams of helium-3 during the fusion reaction emit as much energy as is formed when burning a barrel of oil. 1 ton of helium-3 during fusion will give as much energy as it can be obtained by burning 15 million barrels of oil. Just 40 tons of helium-3 will be enough to power a large country like the United States for a whole year.
Helium-3 is rich in lunar regolith. This isotope of helium has accumulated in a thin near-surface layer over billions of years of exposure to the solar wind. A ton of regolith contains about 0.01 g of helium-3. It is believed that in the near-surface layer of the moon contains from 500 thousand to 10 million tons of helium-3. Projects for regolith processing and helium-3 isolation are being worked out not only by scientists from India and China, but also by the United States. In particular, this work was performed at one time and experts from NASA.
According to the World Security Network, the cost of extracting 1 ton of helium-3 on the moon could be $3 billion, which is economically profitable. However, in order to start mining this element, you also need the appropriate infrastructure, the creation of which will cost much more. So, according to scientists from the United States, the total cost of such infrastructure will be at least $20 billion, the duration of the project can not be less than 20 years.
However, Indian scientists and engineers have repeatedly surprised Western colleagues with the ability to achieve significant results in space research at relatively low cost. For example, India built a Martian orbital probe from scratch and successfully sent it to orbit Mars. Thanks to him, several records were set at once. For example, the cost of the Mangalyan satellite (all stages of the program) amounted to slightly more than $72 million. The U.S. and European space agencies spend a lot more. India’s space program is currently only 5% of NASA’s budget, and the average salary of a space professional is about $1,000.
Russian experts also believe that mining of this type can be profitable. “Our country has extensive experience in the development of minerals on Earth, and there are no fewer on the moon. In regolith, for example, huge reserves of helium-3, and this is the basis of thermonuclear energy. Today, Americans have the technology to extract it. As a result, the funds spent on the development of the moon will pay off many times, says Vyacheslav Bobin, head of the department of the Center for the Study of Natural Matter at the Institute of Integrated Subsoil Development of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
An important reaction for humans: two helium-3 atoms during a thermonuclear reaction form a helium-4 atom with the formation of two protons and energy
ESA experts, in turn, say that the isotope helium-3 will be a safe source of energy: it is not radioactive, and in the process of fusion with its participation no dangerous compounds are formed. Here, of course, it is necessary to pay attention again to the fact that a real program for the extraction of helium-3 will become only if a person manages to create a commercially viable version of a fusion reactor. Energy has come a long way, but stellarators and tokamaks, two different fusion reactor concepts, are still in experimental mode. At best, conditions suitable for fusion are held for a few seconds, and there is no mass production of energy. If thermonuclear fusion does not become manageable in the next few years, we will have to forget about helium-3 and the exploration of the moon for its extraction. published
P.S. And remember, just changing our consumption – together we change the world!
Source: geektimes.ru/post/286126/
India’s space program is developing rapidly. The country has recognized the need to develop new space technologies and is working on them. In parallel with technical and scientific instruments, India is developing new laws and relevant government organizations that regulate space expansion.
To produce helium-3 on the moon is going not only India, but also China. This is a very promising source of energy. However, it can only be used if a person learns to control the thermonuclear reaction for a long time. It seems that since India and China are actively working on helium-3 production programs, they have no doubt that fusion reactors will be built. Scientists have calculated that 0.02 grams of helium-3 during the fusion reaction emit as much energy as is formed when burning a barrel of oil. 1 ton of helium-3 during fusion will give as much energy as it can be obtained by burning 15 million barrels of oil. Just 40 tons of helium-3 will be enough to power a large country like the United States for a whole year.
Helium-3 is rich in lunar regolith. This isotope of helium has accumulated in a thin near-surface layer over billions of years of exposure to the solar wind. A ton of regolith contains about 0.01 g of helium-3. It is believed that in the near-surface layer of the moon contains from 500 thousand to 10 million tons of helium-3. Projects for regolith processing and helium-3 isolation are being worked out not only by scientists from India and China, but also by the United States. In particular, this work was performed at one time and experts from NASA.
According to the World Security Network, the cost of extracting 1 ton of helium-3 on the moon could be $3 billion, which is economically profitable. However, in order to start mining this element, you also need the appropriate infrastructure, the creation of which will cost much more. So, according to scientists from the United States, the total cost of such infrastructure will be at least $20 billion, the duration of the project can not be less than 20 years.
However, Indian scientists and engineers have repeatedly surprised Western colleagues with the ability to achieve significant results in space research at relatively low cost. For example, India built a Martian orbital probe from scratch and successfully sent it to orbit Mars. Thanks to him, several records were set at once. For example, the cost of the Mangalyan satellite (all stages of the program) amounted to slightly more than $72 million. The U.S. and European space agencies spend a lot more. India’s space program is currently only 5% of NASA’s budget, and the average salary of a space professional is about $1,000.
Russian experts also believe that mining of this type can be profitable. “Our country has extensive experience in the development of minerals on Earth, and there are no fewer on the moon. In regolith, for example, huge reserves of helium-3, and this is the basis of thermonuclear energy. Today, Americans have the technology to extract it. As a result, the funds spent on the development of the moon will pay off many times, says Vyacheslav Bobin, head of the department of the Center for the Study of Natural Matter at the Institute of Integrated Subsoil Development of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
An important reaction for humans: two helium-3 atoms during a thermonuclear reaction form a helium-4 atom with the formation of two protons and energy
ESA experts, in turn, say that the isotope helium-3 will be a safe source of energy: it is not radioactive, and in the process of fusion with its participation no dangerous compounds are formed. Here, of course, it is necessary to pay attention again to the fact that a real program for the extraction of helium-3 will become only if a person manages to create a commercially viable version of a fusion reactor. Energy has come a long way, but stellarators and tokamaks, two different fusion reactor concepts, are still in experimental mode. At best, conditions suitable for fusion are held for a few seconds, and there is no mass production of energy. If thermonuclear fusion does not become manageable in the next few years, we will have to forget about helium-3 and the exploration of the moon for its extraction. published
P.S. And remember, just changing our consumption – together we change the world!
Source: geektimes.ru/post/286126/
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