A retired U.S. general’s recent claim that China has begun extracting a rare isotope from the lunar far side has stoked space mining intrigue. We investigate whether Beijing is truly digging for helium-3 on the Moon’s “dark side” or if such reports are more science fiction than fact, and what it all means for space resources, energy, and global power.
Rumors from the Lunar Far Side: Fact or Fiction?
An artist’s concept depicts a future Chinese lunar base. Recent reports claim China is already mining helium-3 on the Moon’s far side, but evidence remains elusive. Credit: Getty Images
The far side of the Moon, forever hidden from direct view on Earth, has become the subject of intense speculation. In recent weeks, a retired U.S. Air Force general, Steven L. Kwast, stirred controversy by claiming that China “has already begun mining helium-3” on the Moon’s far side. This bold assertion, made during an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show, a popular podcast, without public evidence, raised eyebrows worldwide.
Could China really be quietly extracting this valuable isotope from the Moon’s hinterlands, or are such claims running ahead of reality? So far, no open-source data or official confirmation backs the idea that China is actively mining lunar helium-3 right now. The Chinese space program does have a robotic lander-rover pair, Chang’e-4 and Yutu-2, operating on the Moon’s far side since 2019 – the first ever to soft-land there, as well as Chang’e-6, which recently returned ancient basalts from this lunar side.
However, those small science crafts are not equipped for large-scale mining; they primarily conduct geological experiments and exploration. China’s space agency (CNSA) has never explicitly announced an active helium-3 mining operation. The goal of its missions was scientific sample return, not resource extraction.
The Reality Check
If industrial mining were underway, we would expect to see evidence like heavy machinery, significant power infrastructure, or frequent material shipments back to Earth – none of which have been observed by NASA’s lunar orbiter or international trackers so far. That said, the far side’s very remoteness fuels these rumors. Because it never faces Earth, any activities there are harder to monitor from the ground, creating an aura of secrecy.
Some analysts speculate the far side might even hold higher concentrations of helium-3, since it’s more continuously exposed to the solar wind that deposits the isotope. This theoretical advantage, combined with the fact that the Chinese lunar program operates under the auspices of the military-run China National Space Administration, has led to intrigue about Beijing’s true motives on the Moon.
Still, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. And as of now, the notion that China is already mining helium-3 remains unverified. What is indisputable is China’s interest in lunar resources and helium-3 as a strategic prize – an interest shared by other spacefaring nations. To understand why helium-3 is creating such a buzz, one must grasp what makes this isotope so special.
The Allure of Helium-3: Lunar Gold or Science Fiction?
The hidden or dark side of the Moon taken by Lunar Orbiter III during its mission to photograph potential lunar-landing sites for Apollo missions.
Helium-3, a lightweight, non-radioactive isotope of helium, is often touted as the Moon’s most promising treasure. Unlike common helium-4, each atom of helium-3 contains two protons and just one neutron. This seemingly minor difference gives helium-3 remarkable properties. For one, helium-3 can be cooled to extremely low temperatures, making it extremely useful for cooling quantum machines like advanced quantum computers.
In fact, helium-3 is a key ingredient in the ultra-cold refrigeration systems that enable quantum computing and superconducting technologies. On Earth, helium-3 is so scarce that it costs an estimated $20 million per kg. A steady supply could turbocharge quantum research – and by extension, code-breaking and computing power – a fact not lost on military strategists. “They are the ones that can actually operationalize quantum [computing] because they can cool it down to the temperature it needs,” retired Gen. Steven Kwast warned about whoever controls helium-3.
Even more alluring is helium-3’s potential as a fuel for nuclear fusion, the holy grail of clean energy. When fused with deuterium, helium-3 can theoretically produce enormous energy without the dangerous radiation and radioactive waste of today’s fission reactors.
The Challenges
The catch? Helium-3 is ultra-rare on Earth (only about 15–20 tonnes total in Earth’s crust and atmosphere are thought accessible) while the Moon’s regolith is believed to harbor at least 1 million tonnes embedded by billions of years of solar wind. In other words, the Moon’s surface holds a vast reservoir of a fuel that could revolutionize energy if we can harvest it and if fusion technology matures to use it.
Those are big “ifs.” To date, no fusion reactor has yet achieved a net energy gain using the far easier hydrogen isotopes (deuterium and tritium), let alone helium-3. However, the promise of helium-3 has been compelling enough that space entrepreneurs and agencies alike are making plans. A Seattle startup, for instance, recently unveiled a concept machine to harvest lunar helium-3, touting the isotope’s dual utility in fusion reactors and quantum computing.
All major space powers acknowledge the Moon’s resource potential – NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), Russia, India, and others have missions aimed at mapping lunar water ice, metals, and yes, helium-3. “We know that the moon may have resources that could become useful in the future… Part of the rationale is to understand those resources,” explains James Carpenter, head of ESA’s lunar science program.
In short, helium-3 sits at the tantalizing intersection of energy revolution and technological supremacy. And no country has studied that intersection more deliberately over the past two decades than China.
China’s Lunar Agenda: Exploration Now, Exploitation Next?
Beijing’s interest in helium-3 is not a new revelation – it’s practically baked into China’s lunar exploration roadmap. As far back as 2002, a chief architect of China’s Moon program, Dr. Ouyang Ziyuan, highlighted the Moon as a potential “new and tremendous supplier of energy and resources” and declared that “whoever first conquers the Moon will benefit first.” Helium-3 was explicitly mentioned by Ouyang as a long-term goal of the Chang’e program.
True to that vision, China has methodically progressed from orbital mapping (Chang’e-1 and 2) to landing probes (Chang’e-3 on the near side, 2013) to pioneering the far side landing with Chang’e-4 in 2019. The far side mission was lauded for its scientific firsts but it also had a practical angle: gather data on lunar geology that could inform resource extraction down the line.
The clearest sign of Chinese intent came in December 2020, when Chang’e-5 brought back 1.7 kilograms of lunar rocks from a previously unvisited volcanic plain. Chinese scientists sifted those samples and announced a new mineral, Changesite-(Y), and notably, detected traces of helium-3 in the lunar soil. This marked China’s first direct measurement of the precious isotope on the Moon.
The China National Nuclear Corporation quickly hailed helium-3 as an “ideal fuel” for future fusion power and said the sample analysis would “facilitate the prospecting and assessment of [helium-3] resource on the moon.” In short, China was mapping the lunar helium-3 content with an eye toward mining it. Following Chang’e-5, China accelerated its plans. In May 2024, it launched Chang’e-6, aiming to return the first-ever samples from the Moon’s far side, which it did in May this year.
What’s Ahead?
Next up are Chang’e-7 and 8 later this decade, targeting the Moon’s south pole region, thought to be rich in water ice and also a potential helium-3 repository. Chang’e-8 (scheduled ~2028) is explicitly planned as a technology demonstration mission for utilizing lunar resources and even 3D-printing infrastructure from Moon dirt. Pei Zhaoyu, chief engineer for Chang’e-8, outlined plans for large solar power arrays and pipelines on the lunar surface to support a future base.
By around 2030, China aims to land taikonauts (astronauts) on the Moon, and by 2035, together with Russia and other partners, to build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) – a permanent outpost at the Moon’s south pole. That base would serve as a foothold for scientific work and, crucially, as a platform for long-term “uncrewed operations” to utilize lunar resources (the base will even be powered by a nuclear reactor that the two nations agreed to build).
All these moves underscore that China is taking lunar mining seriously, but timeline matters. Right now, Chinese missions are in the exploratory and preparatory stage, not full-scale resource extraction. Liu Lihua, a senior CNSA official, also emphasized that China “adheres to the concept of peaceful use of space” in its lunar activities. There is no public sign that China has begun hauling helium-3 back to Earth in any meaningful quantity.
Doing so would likely require processing hundreds of tons of regolith to isolate a single gram of helium-3, a feat requiring industrial machinery far beyond the small rovers currently on the Moon. If China had emplaced such machinery, it’s likely we would know as NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter can photograph objects on the lunar surface as small as a car, and it did spot the Chang’e-4 lander and Yutu-2 rover (appearing as tiny dots) in Von Kármán crater.
What is partially true in the rumors is that China is positioning itself to be ready for helium-3 extraction when the time comes. Beijing’s long-term thinking is evident from its research into novel ways to transport lunar resources. In August 2024, Chinese scientists proposed an ambitious electromagnetic launch system on the Moon – a “slingshot” to fling mined material to Earth at 10% the cost of rockets. This concept highlights that China’s space community is actively solving the logistical puzzle of exporting lunar helium-3.
Race for a Cosmic Commodity: Geopolitics of Lunar Mining
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington.
Behind the speculation and plans lies a stark geopolitical reality: the race to secure lunar resources is on, and helium-3 has become a symbol of technological leadership. The United States, China, and their respective partners are increasingly treating the Moon as high ground in a 21st-century contest for economic and strategic advantage.
NASA’s Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a sustained presence at the south pole within this decade. Part of Artemis’s mandate is to encourage commercial mining of lunar resources under a legal framework called the Artemis Accords, which outlines norms for resource extraction and “safety zones” on the Moon.
China and Russia, on the other hand, reject the Accords as U.S.-dominated and have formed their parallel ILRS initiative. This diplomatic tussle over lunar governance is essentially about who gets to exploit moon minerals like helium-3, water ice, and rare earth metals, and under whose rules. The fear—voiced openly by officials on both sides—is that the opponent might monopolize critical extraterrestrial resources.
“It is a fact: we’re in a space race… we better watch out that [China doesn’t] get to a place on the Moon and say ‘Keep out, this is our territory,” warned NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in 2023. Nelson specifically cautioned that Beijing could seek to dominate the Moon’s “most resource-rich locations”, potentially denying others access – a scenario that helium-3 fits to a tee.
The Advantage Up for Grabs
Chinese officials bristled at that suggestion, but the example of terrestrial disputes like the South China Sea is not lost on strategists. The Moon, for all its inhospitable terrain, suddenly looks like the next Persian Gulf or Arctic – a frontier where energy security and national prestige converge.
It’s in this context that Gen. Kwast’s claims resonate, even if they’re speculative. If one nation cornered the supply of helium-3, it would command a potent advantage: virtually unlimited clean energy and a chokehold on the coolant needed for quantum supercomputers. Kwast imagines a future where China, by monopolizing helium-3, could “power the entire world for thousands of years” and crack any encryption using cooled quantum computers.
Hyperbolic as that may sound, it underscores why helium-3 is seen as a “strategic resource” in the same vein as oil or lithium. Control of helium-3 could translate to decades of technological dominance, from energy grids to military capabilities. Little wonder then that Beijing’s lunar activities are watched with a mixture of admiration and anxiety in Washington, Moscow, New Delhi, and beyond.
However, experts urge a balanced view. Helium-3 mining is not a race that will be won overnight, nor is its value guaranteed, with scientists noting that workable fusion reactors might still be decades away. It’s also possible that other resources might prove more immediately valuable than helium-3. Even so, the perception that helium-3 could be a game-changer is enough to drive policy.
The mere chance that the Moon holds an energy panacea has effectively made lunar land grab fears a reality in international politics. Both superpowers are aligning partners and pouring billions into lunar programs with resources in mind. In this grander scheme, China’s methodical push to explore the Moon’s far side and poles (helium-3 included) aligns with its broader ambitions to become a technological superpower independent of Earth-bound resource limitations.
Outlook: Watching China’s Next Moves on the Moon
At present, claims of China already mining helium-3 on the Moon remain more speculative intrigue than confirmed fact. Beijing has indeed been prospecting – identifying helium-3 in lunar samples and studying how to extract and transport it – but it has not yet pulled off the feat of mass mining on the lunar surface. The coming few years, however, will be crucial in revealing China’s true progress.
There are several indicators to watch for:
- Chang’e-8 and In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) Tests: In 2028, Chang’e-8 is slated to test technologies for using lunar materials. Any official word of processing lunar regolith for volatiles or fusion fuel in Chang’e-8’s payload would signal China moving from prospecting to proof-of-concept mining.
- International Lunar Research Station development: As China and Russia assemble their ILRS base in the 2030s, watch for infrastructure specifically related to resource handling. The construction of the proposed electromagnetic launcher or other resource return mechanisms by the ILRS would be a telltale sign that large-scale mining is imminent.
- Lunar sample returns and research papers: China will continue returning samples, so scrutinize scientific publications and press releases for mentions of helium-3 content in these new samples, and any improvements in estimating mineable reserves. A steady emphasis on helium-3 in official findings would indicate rising priority. Notably, Chinese scientists are already collaborating internationally by sharing lunar samples for study, likely aiming to refine techniques to locate rich helium-3 deposits.
- Fusion and quantum technology milestones: Breakthroughs in fusion power or quantum computing by any nation could, in turn, spur a more urgent push to secure helium-3. China is active on both fronts – operating the world’s largest fusion research device (the EAST tokamak) and investing heavily in quantum encryption and computing.
One Thing Is for Certain: The Clock Is Ticking
Meanwhile, the international community will need to grapple with the legal and ethical framework for extraterrestrial mining. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits national appropriation of celestial bodies, yet it’s generally interpreted to allow extraction of resources in space as long as no sovereignty is claimed. This grey area means that clear norms for sharing or competing over lunar riches like helium-3 are still being hashed out.
If China were to start extracting helium-3, it could force a new dialogue – or a new rift – over how to govern lunar mining. For now, we’ll be keeping a close eye on China’s lunar program for concrete signs that the helium-3 era is dawning. If and when China (or anyone) confirms the first extraction of helium-3 on the Moon, it will mark a watershed moment, heralding not just a scientific achievement but the start of a new industry off Earth.
It could also ignite tensions over who controls this future. In the interim, skepticism is healthy: claims of clandestine Chinese helium-3 mining should be met with demands for evidence. But neither should the world be caught flat-footed if those lunar dreams move into reality. As China’s steady progress shows, the line between speculation and realization in space can blur faster than expected.
The next chapter in this saga, whether cooperation or competition, will be written on the lunar surface, and helium-3 may well be the ink.