by Shakes Gilles

The Indian Space Research Organisation intends to send a mission to the far side of the moon to exploit helium 3, the fuel for the next fusion reactors!

Chandrayaan-2 will be the second lunar mission of India. As stated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in a statement, it’s about going to the far side of our satellite. ISRO wants to land a six-wheeled rover to search for helium 3 and water.

Just a year ago, the president of Princeton Satellite Systems presented the progress of work on nuclear fusion propulsion. According to him, one of the main obstacles to the development of future fusion reactors is the need to obtain helium-3, which is extremely rare on Earth but plentiful on the moon.

Kailasavadivoo Sivan, a board member of ISRO, told Bloomberg that “countries that can afford to transfer this resource from the moon to Earth will have control over the process.” Thus, India wants to become the leader in the field!

Indeed, today helium 3 is mainly produced by means of nuclear reactions, whereas the reserves are managed in the biggest secrecy by the United States as well as Russia. For the moment, no laboratory has succeeded in launching and maintaining a fusion method capable of producing more energy than is required to launch it in the first place.

Thus, this fully justifies the fact of wanting to go to the moon for helium 3. And India wants to be one step ahead of other countries in the these natural reserves through its mission Chandrayaan-2 , scheduled for October 2018.