Helium 3 - How long will it take for commercial mining of the moon for Helium 3 to become feasible?

Question

Elemental Helium 3 is rare on the Earth but abundant on the moon. (Although Helium-3 is a byproduct of tritium decay, and tritium can be produced through neutron bombardment of lithium, boron, or nitrogen targets.)

More abundant helium-3 is thought to exist on the Moon (embedded in the upper layer of regolith by the solar wind over billions of years) and the solar system's gas giants (left over from the original solar nebula), although still in low quantities (28ppm of lunar regolith is helium-4 and 0.01 ppm is helium-3)

D + 3He → 4He (3.7 MeV) + p (14.7 MeV)
The appeal of helium-3 fusion stems from the nature of its reaction products. Helium-3 itself is non-radioactive. The lone high-energy proton produced can be contained using electric and magnetic fields, which results in direct electricity generation.

He-3 is made on the earth in the reaction D + D -> He-3 + n + 3.27 MeV.

Answer 1

Many years. The Chinese will go to the moon around 2018 and they have intrest in He-3. I'm sure they will try and make it economical by then. The US is going back to the moon in 2020.

Answer 2

What a good question! let's do a theory try - imagine you're the president of a superpower who has change into interested in arising the image voltaic device for its environmentally benign, endless and massive ability and mineral elements. One consortium of industries comes in the previous you with an not undemanding "highway-map" of technologies they have advanced, which at its end, will provide your usa the flexibility to mine helium-3. it truly is a nicely-theory out, functional, fiscally to blame plan. How lengthy could it take to do? I say, look on the plan's Powerpoint challenge timeline - then tack onto it the time very last to the nice and cozy temperature lack of existence of the universe. let's finish the idea try.. some wonk lays a memo on your table. It says, "set up inner most belongings rights on the moon," and then lists a set of attorneys with international adventure in aerospace, ocean & mineral rights for you to artwork force your treaty job stress with. this kind of comes in the previous the different. The Outer area Treaty of 1967 prohibited claims of outer area in accordance with nationwide sovereignty, yet did not restrict inner most belongings. the ingredient is, neither are belongings claims counseled. no man or woman will put up a dime to mine helium-3 - or for that count number employ the thousand or so gigawatts of image voltaic ability that your lunar miners will want to be shielded from besides - with such regulatory ambiguity. till the day this situation is resolved, because the Outer area Treaty publicizes, area will proceed to be "the province of all mankind." actual, as long as its understood no man or woman will actual take advantage of their percentage of the "province".