A scientist from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has stated that India is working to exploit natural resources on the moon to power the country’s energy requirements by 2030.

Axar.az reports that ISRO is working on mining lunar dust, which is rich in Helium, and transport back it to India, said Dr Sivathanu Pillai, an ISRO scientist who earlier worked as the chief of the Indo-Russian venture, BrahMos Aerospace.
“All of India’s energy requirements could be met through Helium 3 mined from the moon. By 2030, this processing target will be met, he said while delivering the valedictory address at the three-day Observer Space Foundation-Kalpana Chawla Space Policy Dialogue in New Delhi, organized by Observer Research Foundation, a private think-tank.

According to Pillai, the upper layer of the moon’s surface, Regolith, has abundant Helium 3 to meet the energy requirements of the entire planet and not just India. An isotope of Helium, Helium 3 can fuel nuclear reactors to provide an enormous amount of power without any harmful carbon emissions or radioactive products.

It is dispensed by solar winds on the moon’s surface and gets absorbed there due to a lack of magnetic field. Earth’s magnetic field prevents the solar Helium 3 from reaching the surface. Helium 3 is abundant in the moon’s soil by at least 13 parts per billion (ppb) by weight, according to NASA’s website.

India is not the first country to declare its intent to mine the lunar surface. Both Russia and China have plans to tap resources on the moon.