Interlune secures $5M SAFE to accelerate lunar helium-3 prospecting and tech milestones

Interlune, a Seattle-based company pursuing extraction of lunar resources, has opened a $5 million simple-agreement-for-future-equity (SAFE) financing and has reported $500,000 in subscriptions so far. Management says the infusion will underwrite near-term technical milestones tied to upcoming lunar prospecting activities rather than immediate equity issuance. The timing of the raise aligns with an expanding set of government and commercial collaborators, including a cryogenics firm, U.S. defense agencies and energy-sector partners that are exploring terrestrial uses for helium-3. Interlune’s first operational step uses a multispectral camera payload, integrated with a commercial lander partner, to map surface deposits and refine extraction site selection, with launch targeted for the northern summer window. Helium-3 is presented as a high-value isotope for advanced cooling, neutron detection and potential fusion applications; market estimates place per-kilogram values in the multimillion-dollar range, which makes on-lunar sourcing commercially attractive if extraction and transport costs can be reduced. The company has previously secured seed capital and technical leadership drawn from prominent aerospace engineers and a geologist with Apollo-era lunar experience, positioning it to bridge mission hardware development and resource evaluation. Short-term implications include accelerated sensor development, funded demonstration activities and deeper engagement with federal research programs. Longer-term outcomes hinge on proving economically viable extraction techniques, resolving regulatory and export controls, and establishing reliable delivery chains from lunar surface to terrestrial customers. Risk factors include high capital intensity, launch and lander schedule slippage, uncertain volumes of accessible helium-3 at chosen sites, and the nascent state of relevant fusion or quantum markets for large-scale supply. If Interlune can validate prospecting methods and secure follow-on financing, it could catalyze a small but strategically meaningful supply chain for helium isotopes that touches defense, quantum computing and energy research. The company’s approach—coupling early-stage capital with targeted mission demonstrations and third-party technology agreements—reflects a staged de‑risking strategy common to space resource ventures.