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हिन्दी — Read in HindiMoon, Sun and planetary missions
Missions to the Moon, the Sun, the planets and the asteroids, India's and other countries'. Prelims has asked about Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter Mission.
Foundation note: India's Moon, Mars, Sun and Venus missions
Showing 1 of 4 articles, those that changed from 1 to 30 June 2026.Show all
Helium 3 and lunar mining
Copy link to Helium 3 and lunar miningPrelims
Helium 3 is a helium isotope with one neutron fewer than ordinary helium.
- It is used to reach the very low temperatures that cool quantum computers, and is a candidate fuel for future fusion plants.
- Apollo samples show it is concentrated in the regolith, the Moon's topmost layer, where the solar wind implanted it over billions of years, but at only a few parts per billion.
What changed
16 Jun 2026BriefPriced above $2,000 a litre, helium 3 is drawing space start ups that plan to heat lunar soil to release trapped gases. The Indian Express, 16 Jun 2026: What is Helium-3, the $2,000/litre rare gas sparking a race to mine the Moon? (opens in a new tab)
See also: The lunar south pole
Also filed elsewhere
- The Artemis Accords · on Space policy, private sector and governance
The Artemis Accords are a set of principles, drafted by the United States in 2020, that a country signs to take part in NASA's Artemis programme to return to the Moon.