Dan Warden
Chief Operating Officer, Black Moon Energy Corp.
More than fifty years ago, humanity set foot on the Moon and changed history.
The Apollo missions were among the greatest achievements in human history. They returned priceless scientific data, inspired generations of explorers, and proved that extraordinary challenges can be overcome through innovation and determination.
A few years ago, our team set out to answer a fundamental question:
Can the Moon become a practical source of Helium-3 for humanity?
Scientists during the Apollo era recognized the presence of Helium-3 as a clue to understanding the Moon’s formation, but few imagined that this rare isotope might one day become one of humanity’s most valuable resources. Today, growing demand for Helium-3 in fusion energy, quantum computing, radiation detection, medical diagnostics, and national security makes our Fusion 1 Mission’s scientific findings valuable across multiple industries.
Fusion 1 is humanity’s first step toward understanding whether one of our greatest future resources lies just three days from Earth—and whether that resource can help power a cleaner, more abundant future for generations to come.
Unlike previous lunar missions that explored where we could go, Fusion 1 is designed to understand what the Moon can provide. Its objective is not simply exploration, but resource characterization—the scientific foundation required before any future lunar resource industry can be built.
To answer that question, Black Moon Energy has assembled an extraordinary team.
Black Moon Energy is leading the development of the Fusion 1 Mission, bringing together expertise in lunar resource development, planetary science, and robotic exploration. Caltech is providing scientific leadership, while NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is responsible for mission design, engineering, manufacture and mission operations. Together, the three organizations along with a host of vendors combine complementary expertise to execute a mission of this scope and complexity.
Over the course of approximately one year, our autonomous rover will traverse hundreds of kilometers across the lunar surface. Engineered to survive the Moon’s extreme environment—including multiple lunar nights—it will collect hundreds of physical samples and conduct scientific analyses never before performed.
As it travels, Fusion 1 will analyze lunar materials using onboard instrumentation, including mass spectrometry, and transmit data back to Earth in real time. This allows scientists to continuously evaluate findings and adapt the mission as new discoveries emerge, providing tremendous flexibility to investigate the most promising locations.
By the conclusion of the mission, Fusion 1 will have produced one of the most comprehensive Helium-3 resource assessments ever attempted. The data collected will help answer critical questions about Helium-3 abundance, its variability across different terrains, and the characteristics of the lunar surface that will ultimately influence excavation, processing, and future commercial operations.
Fusion 1 is not simply another lunar mission. It is a mission designed to transform uncertainty into knowledge.
Every major industry begins with better information. Before resources can be developed, they must first be understood. Before infrastructure can be built, engineers need reliable data. Before investors commit billions of dollars, they need confidence that the opportunity is real. Confidence is built on evidence—and evidence is exactly what Fusion 1 is designed to deliver.
Apollo proved we could reach the Moon. Fusion 1 seeks to better understand how the Moon can help shape humanity’s future.