Interlune raises $5M to build moon infrastructure, not just mine it
What's the deal? Seattle-based Interlune has raised $5 million through a convertible SAFE to fund a plan that goes beyond mining the moon for helium-3 to building space infrastructure. Existing and new investors joined the round, which surfaced in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Why now? Chief executive officer Rob Meyerson said the timing works ahead of a priced round, citing "continued traction with government contracts, along with major milestones across the space ecosystem over the past year." Interlune used the same SAFE approach to raise $5 million earlier this year.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2020, Interlune first focused on extracting resources from lunar rocks and soil. Helium-3 leads its target list — more abundant on the moon than on Earth, and valued for medical imaging, quantum computing, and fusion power, with prices that can top $9 million a pound.
Beyond mining: The company has expanded into space infrastructure and survival services. "We've expanded our product offering... leveraging the same technologies we've been developing to harvest natural resources from space," Meyerson said.
In July, Interlune expanded a partnership with Vermeer, an Iowa-based equipment maker, to develop lunar construction tools. Those could support NASADealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s 10-year, $30 billion push to build a moon base. Interlune is also adapting its helium-3 process for terrestrial use.
What's next? Interlune plans to send its first payload — a mineralogical mapping instrument — to the moon later this year aboard Voyager Technologies' Griffin-1 lander. Follow-up missions will map helium-3 reserves and test extraction, with harvesting and return to Earth slated for the 2030s.
The signal: At $5 million, the raise sits in the top 10% of all US convertible rounds on record. That reflects growing investor appetite for space resources as government programs and private missions build momentum around a lunar economy.
Read more: geekwire.com
Image credit: Interlune
