Interlune
Interlune is a Seattle-based space resource company developing proprietary technology to extract helium-3 from lunar regolith, selling to quantum computing firms and U.S. government agencies under approximately $500 million in binding purchase orders, with first deliveries targeted for 2028-2029.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersEstes Park, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Interlune does
Interlune is a Seattle-headquartered space resource company founded in 2020 that is developing end-to-end technology to extract helium-3 from lunar regolith. Its proprietary harvesting system covers four stages: excavation (a full-scale prototype co-developed with Vermeer Corporation capable of processing 100 metric tons of regolith per hour), size sorting, extraction of volatile gases, and cryogenic separation of helium-3 from helium using magnetocaloric effects. The company also produces extreme-environment regolith simulants at its Houston-based Interlune Research Lab and is developing a cargo return capsule to bring materials back to Earth multiple times per year. The system is designed to be materially smaller, lighter, and require roughly 10x less power than competing concepts, an economic necessity given launch and surface-energy costs on the Moon.
Interlune sells helium-3 through long-term take-or-pay contracts at approximately $20 million per kilogram to enterprise customers in quantum computing (Bluefors, Maybell Quantum) and federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy Isotope Program, National Science Foundation, and Texas Space Commission. The company has secured approximately $500 million in binding purchase orders and government contracts, with first deliveries scheduled for 2028-2029 and a target production capacity of 10 kilograms of helium-3 annually from its first lunar operation in the 2030s. Beyond helium-3, the platform is positioned as general-purpose infrastructure for industrial metals, rare earth elements, and water to support a sustained lunar presence.
The company is venture-backed (led by Alexis Ohanian's Seven Seven Six with $18 million in seed funding) and has supplemented equity with more than $13 million in non-dilutive grants from NASA, DOE, NSF, AFWERX, and the Texas Space Commission. A January 2026 SAFE filing targets up to an additional $5 million ahead of a priced equity round. The leadership team, drawn from Blue Origin (former President Rob Meyerson as CEO, former Chief Architect Gary Lai as CTO) and NASA (Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt as Executive Chairman), combines commercial spaceflight, lunar geology, and government-procurement experience.
Interlune firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Interlune
- Legal name
- Interlune Corporation
- Website
- https://interlune.space
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Interlune is a Seattle-based space resource company developing proprietary technology to extract helium-3 from lunar regolith, selling to quantum computing firms and U.S. government agencies under approximately $500 million in binding purchase orders, with first deliveries targeted for 2028-2029.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Interlune industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Space Resource Extraction
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Reentry, Descent & Landing Systems (Capsules, Heat Shields, Parachutes) (IMABACAL), Helium & Rare Gases (Neon/Krypton/Xenon) (IMAEACAD)
Keywords
Where Interlune is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Estes Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Interlune business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Helium-3 Sales: Interlune extracts helium-3 from lunar regolith and sells it to commercial and government customers. Helium-3 is priced at approximately $20 million per kilogram. The company has secured approximately $500 million in binding purchase orders and government contracts for helium-3 deliveries starting 2028-2029.
- Government Contracts and Grants: The company receives SBIR/STTR grants and contracts from NASA, DOE, AFWERX, and other government agencies for technology development. These provide non-dilutive funding for R&D activities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Helium-3 sales to government and commercial customers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Interlune product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Interlune extracts helium-3 from lunar regolith using proprietary excavation, sorting, extraction, and separation technologies, and sells the harvested isotope to quantum computing companies and U.S. government agencies. The company is developing a full harvesting system, a cargo return capsule, and supporting infrastructure to enable commercial-scale lunar resource extraction with first deliveries planned for 2028-2029.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lunar Helium-3 Helium-3 isotope harvested from lunar regolith and delivered to commercial and government customers for use in quantum computing dilution refrigerators, national security radiation detectors, medical imaging, and fusion energy applications. Priced at approximately $20 million per kilogram.
- Full-Scale Lunar Excavator Prototype A full-scale excavator prototype developed with Vermeer Corporation that processes 100 metric tons of lunar regolith per hour. Designed to reduce tractive force, power consumption, and dust compared to traditional trench-digging techniques for use on the Moon.
- Prospect Moon Payload A NASA SBIR Phase III lunar payload comprising a robotic arm, scoop, size-sorting device, multispectral camera, mass spectrometer, and extraction devices designed to measure and extract helium-3 and hydrogen from lunar regolith during a commercial lunar lander mission.
- Helium-3 Cryogenic Separation System A novel cryogenic separation system that uses magnetocaloric effects to separate helium-3 from helium more energy-efficiently than traditional methods. Developed in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and applicable to both domestic helium-3 supply and lunar extraction.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10X reduction in power requirements compared to industry concepts
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Interlune
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Interlune technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Interlune partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- NASAcoreMultiple NASA partnerships including SBIR Phase III ($6.9M) for Prospect Moon payload, TechFlights grant ($348K), and STTR Phase I ($150K) with Colorado School of Mines. NASA provides commercial lunar payload services for mission integration. Interlune technology supports Artemis program objectives and lunar base construction.
- Colorado School of MinessupportingNASA STTR Phase I partnership where Interlune and the university collaborate on developing analytical models, engineering standards, and testing hardware for lunar trenching and excavation technology. Focuses on reducing tractive force, power consumption, and dust compared to traditional trench-digging techniques.
- Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)coreAFWERX SBIR Direct-to-Phase II contract ($1.25M) for technology to double U.S. helium-3 supply from domestic sources. AFRL Information Directorate leads the project supporting quantum computing R&D programs.
- AstrolabcoreInterlune will fly its multispectral camera on Astrolab's FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform (FLIP) rover mission to measure helium-3 concentrations on the Moon. In March 2026, companies announced collaboration to integrate Interlune's excavation technology onto Astrolab's FLEX rover, with hardware testing planned in Houston. The partnership supports Interlune's goal to harvest industrial quantities of natural resources from the Moon using a fleet of lunar rovers.
- NASA Ames Research CentersupportingPartnership for development of Interlune's multispectral camera at NASA's Ames Research Center in California. Camera images will estimate helium-3 quantities and concentration in lunar regolith by detecting titanium and regolith maturity.
- Vermeer CorporationcoreJoint development agreement to create excavation equipment and technology for use on the Moon. Vermeer CEO Jason Andringa joined Interlune's advisory board. Companies unveiled full-scale excavator prototype capable of processing 100 metric tons of moon dirt per hour. Partnership leverages Vermeer's 75+ years of industrial equipment manufacturing expertise.
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)supportingCollaboration with PNNL to advance novel methods of cooling liquid helium to extremely low temperatures using the magnetocaloric effect. This technology enables more energy-efficient separation of helium-3 from helium supplies. PNNL scientists work alongside Interlune researchers on this technology development.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Interlune competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Axiom Space: Private company building commercial space station modules and managing NASA's Artemis lunar surface spacesuit program. Comparable as a NASA-aligned private peer in the broader commercial lunar/LEO infrastructure economy.
- Intuitive Machines: Public company operating NASA CLPS lunar landers and offering commercial lunar payload services. Directly comparable as the type of third-party lander provider on which Interlune's delivery economics depend, and a peer competing for NASA lunar contracts.
- Blue Origin: Major private space company founded by Jeff Bezos, with broad launch and lunar ambitions. Comparable as the employer of two Interlune co-founders (Meyerson, Lai) and a long-horizon competitor for lunar surface activities and Blue Moon lander payloads.
- Voyager Technologies: Public space infrastructure company operating Voyager Space and Nanoracks with interests in commercial space stations and lunar services. Comparable as a diversified peer across the emerging in-space economy.
Emerging players
- Helios Project: Israel-based startup developing molten regolith electrolysis to extract oxygen from lunar soil. Directly comparable as an early-stage company pursuing ISRU with proprietary extraction technology for lunar resources.
- K2 Energy / K2 Space: Early-stage company developing lunar lander infrastructure for cargo delivery. Comparable as a peer building enabling infrastructure in the same lunar logistics chain Interlune depends on.
- Masten Space Systems: Emerging lunar lander developer (acquired by Astrobotic in 2024, with assets later revived). Comparable as a peer in the lunar lander and ISRU demonstration ecosystem.
- Astrolab: Building the FLEX rover for lunar surface mobility and payload hosting. Comparable as a lunar-surface infrastructure peer; also an active commercial partner (Interlune's FLIP rover integration) demonstrating how the ecosystem co-develops.
Direct peers
- Lunar Outpost: Colorado-based company developing lunar rovers and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology, including prospecting for lunar resources. Directly comparable as another private U.S. company pursuing commercial extraction of lunar materials.
- ispace: Japan-based lunar exploration company developing landers and resource prospecting missions. Closely comparable in mission profile (lunar surface mobility, resource measurement) and is the most advanced publicly listed peer in lunar resource extraction.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Interlune social profiles
Digital presenceInterlune financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Interlune leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Interlune funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Interlune M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Interlune
What does Interlune do?
Interlune extracts helium-3 from lunar regolith using proprietary excavation, sorting, extraction, and separation technologies, and sells the harvested isotope to quantum computing companies and U.S. government agencies. The company is developing a full harvesting system, a cargo return capsule, and supporting infrastructure to enable commercial-scale lunar resource extraction with first deliveries planned for 2028-2029.
Is Interlune a public or private company?
Interlune is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Interlune founded?
Interlune was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Interlune based?
Interlune is headquartered in Estes Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Interlune make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Helium-3 Sales are the primary driver. The others are government Contracts and Grants.
Who are Interlune's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines, Blue Origin and Voyager Technologies. Emerging players are Helios Project, K2 Energy / K2 Space, Masten Space Systems and Astrolab. Direct peers are Lunar Outpost and ispace.
Does Interlune have an API?
No public API is recorded for Interlune.
What industry is Interlune in?
Interlune's product category is Space Resource Extraction. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAD, Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR), with a secondary code of IMABACAL, Reentry, Descent & Landing Systems (Capsules, Heat Shields, Parachutes). Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.