Russia to launch industrial mining of helium-3 on the Moon in 2020

According to estimates by Academician Erik Galimov, director of the Research Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, calculation and design costs pertaining to space part of the project will be in the neighborhood of $15 billion. Galimov rather supports than objects to the lunar helium mining. However, he too finds the idea of Sturm and Drang absolutely unacceptable.

“It should take decades of research until lunar industry takes shape,” said Galimov.

In other words, everybody is well aware of the situation, and nobody is willing to rush ahead with the helium-3 project. In the meantime, the officials have set the deadline – 2015 i.e. earlier than the U.S. lunar exploration program gets under way. A few decades ago, the Soviet Union was defeated by the United States in the battle for the Moon. And that battle cost much less.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

Translated by Guerman Grachev

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