Helium-3 exists on the Moon. Our ambition is to create a path to it.
LUNEL is developing a project to use lunar resources, with helium-3 as its strategic focus. This rare isotope already serves science and advanced technologies, and it may have a future role in fusion energy. We want to create a path to an additional source of this resource, helping its availability support new discoveries and progress on Earth.
This vision is already backed by a developed system concept and substantial project documentation. The knowledge, proposed solutions and development plan provide a starting point for technical discussions, research and preparation of a ground-based demonstrator. We are now seeking the funding and support needed to test selected parts of the project in practice.
CURRENT PROJECT STATUSSystem concept and project documentation developed
THE FOUNDATION WE HAVE BUILT
The concept is developed. Research comes next.
The work to date has produced a coherent concept, design descriptions, visual documentation and a development plan. This body of work preserves the knowledge gained and records key decisions. It gives future contributors a shared foundation for deciding what to investigate, how to assess the results and which resources are needed. It is a substantial asset for LUNEL, created through its founder’s work, knowledge and personal investment.
The concept takes a comprehensive approach to collecting, processing and managing regolith — the loose material covering the Moon’s surface — and recovering its resources. It considers the needs of future operations, available resources and the constraints of the lunar environment. Calculations and research will help assess how to turn these requirements into a working system and which solutions to develop first.
A GLIMPSE OF THE LUNEL VISION
RCM. A vision for collecting regolith.
Within the LUNEL concept, RCM has the role of collecting regolith — the material covering the Moon’s surface. This deliberately simplified illustration offers a glimpse of the project’s direction. The current design and its technical details remain in non-public documentation.
Simplified illustrative rendering of RCM. It does not represent the project’s current technical configuration.An illustrative image, not a photograph of a built prototype.
02 / A NAME WITH A STORY+
Lunar. Helium. LUNEL.
LUNEL brings together Lunar, referring to the Moon, and Helium. The name connects the place we are looking towards with the resource at the heart of the project. It also has a personal meaning: Piotr Dytkowski, the creator of LUNEL, grew up in Hel, Poland, where he lived until the age of twenty.
A personal inspiration has grown into a project shaped by sustained work, personal investment and an expanding body of knowledge. That story remains part of LUNEL at every stage.
03 / UNDERSTANDING HELIUM-3+
Compare the isotopes
Tap a particle or its name to explore.
Nuclear spin1/2
Schematic illustration. Particle sizes and positions are illustrative; no fixed electron paths are shown.
A small difference. Remarkable possibilities.
Two protons. One neutron. A stable isotope of helium.
Helium-3 is one of the forms of helium known as isotopes. Every helium atom has two protons in its nucleus; the isotopes differ in their number of neutrons. Helium-3 has one neutron, while helium-4 has two. The number in the name is the total number of protons and neutrons. This small difference changes the atom’s mass and properties, opening up different uses.
These links lead to external scientific background, not LUNEL test results or partner endorsements.
Spin. A small property with a big impact.
Spin is the intrinsic angular momentum of a particle or atomic nucleus, a property described by quantum physics. It does not mean that a particle turns like a small ball. Its effects can be measured: in helium-3, they are linked to how the nucleus responds to a magnetic field.
The helium-3 nucleus has spin 1/2; helium-4 has spin 0. These numbers describe a quantum property, not a number of turns. For helium-3, measuring the spin component along a chosen axis gives one of two outcomes, conventionally called “up” and “down”. Helium-4 has zero total nuclear spin.
A useful analogy is a collection of tiny magnetic needles. Helium-3 nuclei have a magnetic moment, and the gas can be prepared so that one spin orientation is more common. This is polarisation. Such gas can, for example, filter neutrons according to spin. The analogy helps explain nuclear behaviour, but is not a literal picture of nuclear structure.
EXPLORE POLARISATION · HELIUM-3
↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑
↑Chosen axis
Arrows represent the two possible spin projections along one chosen axis. They do not show spinning particles. The proportions are illustrative.
Illustrative images created with AI. They show application areas, not LUNEL equipment.
Enlarge image⤢AN ESTABLISHED APPLICATIONA dilution refrigerator. The outer enclosure is removed here to show the cooling stages.
COOLING AND QUANTUM SCIENCE
Closer to absolute zero.
Specialist refrigerators use a mixture of helium-3 and helium-4 to remove heat from the system being studied. In a dilution refrigerator, helium-3 enters a helium-4-rich phase and absorbs heat. This enables temperatures measured in millikelvins: thousandths of a kelvin above absolute zero. These conditions support superconducting quantum systems and materials research. The helium circulates in a closed loop, so it can be used repeatedly.
Enlarge image⤢AN ESTABLISHED APPLICATIONA helium-3 gas cell in an illustrative neutron spin-filter instrument.
PRECISION MEASUREMENT
See more.
Helium-3 helps detect neutrons, particles found in atomic nuclei. It readily absorbs slow neutrons, a property used in detectors. Its magnetic properties also allow the gas to be polarised, with aligned spin orientations. This makes it a useful research tool in neutron filters and selected medical imaging techniques.
Enlarge image⤢A FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PATHAn imagined future fusion facility, not an existing commercial helium-3 power plant.
A LONGER HORIZON
A possible fuel for future fusion.
Fusion brings light atomic nuclei together. Helium-3 can react with deuterium, a form of hydrogen, releasing energy and producing helium-4 and a proton. It is one of the possibilities being explored for future energy generation. Using it in a power plant requires further development of reactors and fuel supplies. LUNEL focuses on access to the resource needed to explore that possibility.
Naturally occurring helium-3 is very rare on Earth. Some available helium-3 is recovered from the decay of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen. Supply therefore depends on a limited range of sources. Earlier shortages prompted recycling and the search for substitutes. For laboratories and emerging technologies, the price, availability and reliability of gas supplies matter: they can affect how quickly its applications develop.
Existing suppliers continue to play an important role. The US Department of Energy (DOE) reports that recycling and alternative technologies have helped secure key federal needs for decades ahead. LUNEL’s ambition is to create an additional source that could support future development at a greater scale.
Resources beyond Earth. Possibilities for life on Earth.
The solar wind is a stream of particles flowing from the Sun. Over billions of years it has also carried helium to the Moon, where some became trapped in the regolith. Helium-3 is held within this loose dust and broken rock. Recovering it requires handling the surface material, releasing the gases it contains, then separating and preparing the desired product.
Reliable, economically viable access to lunar helium-3 could increase its availability and support quantum science, measurement and research into future fusion. This is where we see an opportunity for humanity’s next giant step: the resources of another world helping expand the possibilities of our own.
Helium-3 is dispersed through regolith at very low concentrations. A potential resource becomes a source of supply only when it can be recovered effectively, separated and delivered to a customer. This requires measuring the available resource and assessing the resources consumed and costs across that whole journey. LUNEL connects the vision with the work needed to test its feasibility.
LUNEL already has a developed system concept and project documentation. The next stage is intended to produce measurements: evidence of what works, under which conditions and what needs refinement. We are preparing to move into research and a ground-based demonstrator. The funding we seek will enable this work and help guide future decisions with data.
Select a stage to see its purpose and intended outcome.
01DEVELOPEDConcept and documentation.+
The existing body of work sets out the project’s direction and provides a shared foundation for further development. It helps frame research questions and identify the evidence needed for the next decisions. This knowledge and documentation are already in place, ready to support the next stage.
Purpose
Define a coherent direction for LUNEL and record the decisions made during conceptual design.
Outcome
An existing body of project knowledge and documentation that supports preparation of research.
02IN PREPARATIONResearch and measurement.+
We are preparing the scope of the tests, the measurements required and the resources to carry them out. The research will test selected project assumptions under controlled conditions. For each test, we aim to define in advance what to measure and which result will justify the next step, so that decisions follow from evidence.
Purpose
Agree the research questions, measurements, facilities and resources needed to test selected parts of the concept.
Outcome
A defined research programme, with responsibilities, budget and criteria for assessing results.
03THE NEXT OBJECTIVEA ground-based demonstrator.+
A ground-based demonstrator is a test rig or prototype used to assess how a selected part of the project works. It will allow observation, measurement and improvements before the next stage of development. Its scope and construction will build on research findings, an agreed programme of work and secured funding.
Purpose
Build and test a selected function on Earth, using the findings from the research stage.
Outcome
Measurements to support the next design decision. Construction depends on the agreed scope and secured resources.
06 / SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION+
Support LUNEL. Help make the next step happen.
The system concept and substantial project documentation already exist. We are now using that foundation to seek funding, expertise and research facilities. You can contribute as a researcher, company, sponsor, investor or someone interested in LUNEL’s progress. Below, we explain what each form of involvement could make possible.
WHAT YOUR SUPPORT CAN ENABLE
Support will help turn the developed concept into evidence: preparing analysis and a test plan, securing specialist work and access to equipment, then building a rig for an agreed research scope. For each stage, we aim to define the task, budget, schedule and how the results will be assessed, so that each contribution can be connected to the progress it enables.
Choose a form of collaboration to explore how you can get involved.
FOR RESEARCHERS & LABORATORIES
Turn the questions into a research plan.
We invite researchers and laboratories to help plan and carry out agreed studies. LUNEL’s existing documentation allows the discussion to begin with specific questions. Together, we can prepare a test plan, select equipment, define measurements and estimate the time required. Team involvement, information access and how results may be used will be agreed before work begins.
Test planning and independent review
Access to instruments and laboratory time
Measurements with clear acceptance criteria
FOR COMPANIES & SPECIALISTS
Bring experience to the next step.
Companies and specialists can help through manufacturing, materials, equipment, software or services. Contributions in kind and specialist time have real value in preparing research. We want to connect each proposal to a specific need, a defined scope of work and an outcome. Collaboration can cover a single task or a longer stage of development.
Specialist advice
Access to facilities
Support in kind
FOR BRANDS THAT LOOK FURTHER
Support a step. Become part of the story.
A sponsor can enable a specific study, preparation of a test rig or a broader programme of work. Collaboration can include agreed brand recognition, progress updates and educational activities. We also welcome discussions about sponsorship that could add funding to a future community campaign. Each model needs an agreed objective, scope of support and benefits for both sides.
A defined objective, budget and approach to reporting results
Financial support, equipment or services
Agreed brand recognition and communication about progress
FOR INVESTORS WITH A LONG-TERM VIEW
Capital for research. A longer-term perspective.
We are open to discussions with investors interested in LUNEL’s development. The starting point is the existing concept and documentation; the near-term objective is research and a ground-based demonstrator. We want the discussion to focus on the scope of that stage, the capital needed and the evidence intended to reduce technical uncertainty. Any investment terms and documentation access will be agreed individually.
Discussion of the development stage and its funding
Work programme, milestones and required resources
An agreed scope for project assessment and information access
FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE PART OF LUNEL
Shared curiosity. A meaningful contribution.
The community can help by sharing our mission, introducing relevant people, contributing creative work and supporting a future defined objective. We are considering crowdfunding around a clearly described task, budget and approach to progress updates. A campaign remains something to prepare. When one launches, we will publish its terms, goal and ways to take part. You can already contact us to describe how you would like to contribute.
Help reaching relevant people and organisations
Creative and communication skills
Discussion of a future community initiative
The first step is a discussion about what you can contribute and how it fits the project’s needs. We then agree on a specific scope, responsibilities and outcome. In parallel, we are preparing grant-funding opportunities matched to the programme of work.
07 / QUESTIONS ABOUT LUNEL+
The project. The next chapter.
LUNEL’s conceptual design and substantial documentation are already in place. We are preparing the research and demonstrator stage, and seeking the funding and collaboration to make it possible.
No matching answers. Try a shorter phrase or clear the search.
The project. The foundation already built.
Has the LUNEL project already been developed?+
Yes. LUNEL already has a developed conceptual design and substantial project documentation. This body of work brings together the project’s vision, its intended operation and the path towards further development. It is a significant resource built through sustained work, knowledge and the founder’s own expenditure. It provides the foundation for research, a demonstrator and funding discussions.
What has been prepared so far?+
The work includes a coherent system concept, project descriptions, visual documentation and a development plan. These materials organise the knowledge gained and the requirements for future work. Publicly, we describe their purpose and the project’s progress; detailed documentation is made available through individually agreed arrangements.
Why is the existing documentation valuable?+
It preserves the decisions and knowledge developed so far, connects the project’s goals with the work ahead and gives future collaborators a common starting point. It helps define research questions, plan tasks and assess resource needs. Research will add measurements and evidence to this existing foundation.
Who is behind LUNEL?+
The concept was created by Piotr Dytkowski and is being developed under LUNEL SPACE LTD. His work, personal investment and accumulated knowledge have shaped the project and its documentation. The next stage calls for bringing together the specialist expertise, research facilities and funding needed to move it forward.
Where does the name LUNEL come from?+
LUNEL brings together Lunar and Helium: the Moon and the resource at the heart of the project. It also has a personal connection. Piotr Dytkowski grew up in Hel, Poland, where he lived until the age of twenty. The name connects the project’s purpose with its founder’s story.
What is the long-term vision?+
We want lunar resources to expand the possibilities of science, technology and future energy on Earth. Helium-3 is our strategic focus. Our ambition is a comprehensive approach to collecting, processing and managing regolith and recovering its resources, developed step by step through research and measured results.
A rare resource. A wider perspective.
What is helium-3?+
Helium-3, written ³He, is a stable isotope of helium. Its nucleus contains two protons and one neutron. A neutral atom also has two electrons. It is the same chemical element as helium-4, with a different number of neutrons.
Helium-3 has one neutron; helium-4 has two. This changes the mass and quantum behaviour of the atom. The difference is useful in low-temperature science: dilution refrigerators use the properties of both isotopes together to achieve exceptionally low temperatures.
Yes. It is used in ultra-low-temperature cooling for research and selected quantum technologies, as well as neutron detection and specialist measurement. These uses give helium-3 scientific and technological importance alongside its longer-term potential as a fusion fuel.
Helium-3 is naturally very rare on Earth. Available supplies include recovery from tritium decay. Past shortages have encouraged recycling and alternative technologies. Supply, cost and reliability can constrain applications; LUNEL aims to develop an additional source that could support future growth.
Over billions of years, the solar wind has delivered helium to the lunar surface. Some helium-3 is retained in regolith, the loose material covering the Moon. LUNEL sees this as a potential additional resource. Making it useful requires effective recovery, separation and delivery.
Helium-3 is considered a possible fuel for future fusion. Developing a fuel supply and developing a suitable reactor are separate challenges. LUNEL’s role is to pursue access to the resource, while its existing scientific applications remain important.
The conceptual design and substantial documentation are already in place. We are preparing the move into calculations, research and a ground-based demonstrator. Securing the team, facilities and funding will enable that work. Measured performance will be established through the research programme.
What is a demonstrator?+
A demonstrator is a test rig or prototype used to check how a selected part of the project works. It lets the team measure performance, compare results with the intended outcome and identify improvements. Its scope is chosen to answer specific questions before a larger stage of development.
What should the first research establish?+
The aim is to obtain reliable evidence about selected functions: how effectively they work, how much energy they require and how repeatable the results are. Each study should have an agreed method, measurements and acceptance criteria. Those findings will guide the demonstrator and the next design decisions.
Will research lead to changes in the design?+
Yes. Research is intended to help refine the design using evidence. Measurements can confirm a decision, reveal a limitation or show where another approach is needed. The existing documentation provides the baseline from which those changes can be assessed and recorded.
Why is development planned in stages?+
Each stage should resolve defined questions and provide a sound basis for the next investment. This connects the work, budget and expected result. LUNEL’s long-term vision stays in view while the immediate tasks remain specific enough to plan, resource and evaluate.
When can the next stage begin?+
The schedule depends on the agreed research scope, access to specialists and facilities, and secured funding. Preparing those elements is the current priority. A delivery schedule will be linked to confirmed resources and measurable milestones.
An existing foundation. Support for what comes next.
What support is LUNEL seeking?+
We are seeking funding, specialist expertise and access to research facilities for the next stage. The existing project and documentation provide a starting point for those discussions. We welcome proposals from research teams, companies, sponsors and investors whose contribution can support a defined programme of work.
What would the next funding support?+
Funding would support an agreed scope of analysis, research, specialist work, laboratory access, materials, demonstrator preparation and measurements. The budget should follow that scope and its intended results. Each funded stage will need a clear purpose, responsibilities and a way to assess completion.
What has the founder already contributed?+
The founder has contributed sustained work, knowledge and his own expenditure to developing LUNEL. The conceptual design and documentation are the tangible result of that commitment. Further funding is intended to build on this existing body of work and enable research and demonstrator development.
Why support LUNEL at this stage?+
This is the point at which an existing body of design work can be developed into research evidence. Support can enable a specific task, access to facilities or a defined stage of the programme. We want each collaboration to connect the contribution with a clear purpose and an agreed outcome.
How could a company sponsor LUNEL?+
A sponsorship could fund an agreed activity or provide equipment, materials or services. Its scope, reporting and any brand recognition would be agreed individually. The starting point is a conversation about the sponsor’s interests and the needs of the next stage.
Can support take a form other than funding?+
Yes. Laboratory time, equipment, materials, specialist services and expertise can all help enable the next stage. A useful contribution is one that meets a defined project need. We can discuss its scope, availability and how it would fit into the planned work.
Are you considering crowdfunding or community support?+
Yes. Community support is one of the routes being considered for clearly defined activities. A campaign would need a specific purpose, budget, delivery plan and participation terms. Details of any launched initiative will be announced when those elements are ready.
Can investors discuss the project with LUNEL?+
Yes. We welcome discussions about the project, its existing body of work and the resources needed for the next stage. The scope of information shared and any potential cooperation would be agreed individually. Please introduce your organisation, interests and the type of involvement you would like to discuss.
Start a conversation. Agree the next step.
What does the RCM illustration show, and why are technical details not public?+
The website shows one deliberately simplified exterior rendering of RCM. It illustrates the direction of the work, not the current technical configuration, and it is not a photograph of a built prototype. The developed concept and substantial documentation already exist; this public image is not intended to show construction details or demonstrate performance. Technical renders, sections, parameters and detailed drawings remain non-public. Access to detailed materials is considered individually for a defined purpose and under agreed confidentiality arrangements.
The images in the helium-3 applications section are separate educational illustrations created with AI. They do not show LUNEL equipment. The fusion image presents a future concept.
Can a prospective collaborator review more information?+
The scope can be discussed after an initial introduction and clarification of the proposed collaboration. We would agree which information is needed for that purpose, who needs access and how it will be handled. This allows technical discussions to build on the existing work while protecting the project’s know-how.
Can universities and laboratories get involved?+
Yes. We are interested in research capabilities that can help define questions, plan measurements and carry out agreed studies. A useful first discussion would cover relevant expertise, available facilities, a proposed scope, timing and costs. Participation and responsibilities would then be agreed for a specific project.
Is collaboration limited to space specialists?+
The next stage can benefit from research, engineering, manufacturing and business experience. What matters is how a proposed contribution meets a real need in the work ahead. Please describe your expertise or resources and the area in which you could help.
How can the media request information or brand materials?+
Please contact LUNEL with the topic, intended publication and the materials you need. We can agree the scope of information and suitable brand materials for that purpose. Public communication should accurately distinguish completed project work, the next research stage and long-term ambitions.
How do I contact LUNEL, and what should I include?+
Write to lunelspacecompany@gmail.com or use the introduction tool in the collaboration section. Briefly describe who you are, the organisation you represent, what interests you and the contribution or conversation you propose. This will help us identify a useful next step.
The science behind the vision+
Background reading on helium-3. These sources describe the science; they are not test results or endorsements of LUNEL.
