LESI White Paper
A Categorical Ban on Lunar Helium‑3 Mining
Position: Under no circumstances should the Moon be mined for helium‑3 (³He) for commercial profit. The Moon must be treated as a protected celestial commons and cultural sanctuary.
Download PDFExecutive Summary
The Lunar Ethics & Sustainability Institute (LESI) affirms a categorical prohibition on lunar helium‑3 mining. This stance rests on scientific uncertainty about ³He‑based fusion, the irreversible harm extractive operations could inflict on regolith stratigraphy and dust dynamics, the risk to irreplaceable heritage sites, and the equity concerns inherent in privatizing a commons.
1. Core Principle
The Moon is a shared scientific archive and cultural monument. Its stewardship should reflect intergenerational ethics and precaution. Speculative energy promises cannot justify permanent alteration of a unique and finite environment.
2. Rationale for a Total Ban
2.1 Scientific & Technical Reality
- No operational ³He fusion reactors exist; timelines remain conjectural.
- Lunar ³He concentration is low and heterogenous, implying large‑scale surface disturbance for marginal yield.
2.2 Environmental Integrity
- Mining disrupts regolith layers that encode solar and geological history.
- Dust mobilization threatens equipment, habitats, and long‑term site integrity.
2.3 Heritage & Equity
- Apollo, Luna, Chang’e, and other sites are global heritage deserving permanent buffers.
- Commercial extraction would concentrate benefits, externalize harms, and marginalize non‑spacefaring nations.
3. Policy Demands
- Treaty Action: Amend or supplement outer space agreements to explicitly ban ³He mining and declare the Moon a protected commons.
- Heritage Zones: Establish permanent protection and extraction‑free buffers around significant sites.
- Sanctions: Create UN‑backed sanctions for state or corporate violators.
- Redirect Funding: Invest in terrestrial renewables and proven fusion research avenues instead of lunar extraction.
4. Implementation Roadmap
- 2025–2026: Coalition building; submit ban language to COPUOS; launch public campaign.
- 2027–2030: Secure signatories for a Lunar Mining Ban Treaty; codify heritage zones.
- 2030+: Compliance monitoring, reporting, and sanctions activation if needed.
5. Conclusion
³He mining on the Moon is scientifically premature and ethically unacceptable. A permanent prohibition is the only defensible course for preserving the Moon for all humankind.