Vermeer–Interlune lunar excavators: thermal and power design notes for mine engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Vermeer has expanded its partnership with space startup Interlune to develop autonomous, all‑electric lunar excavators and site‑preparation tools capable of handling up to 100 tonnes of regolith per hour to depths of three metres, targeting a mission‑ready machine by 2028 in step with NASA’s Moon Base timeline. Interlune aims to extract and package helium‑3 on the Moon for return to Earth, while Komatsu is pursuing a rival fully electric lunar excavator, first shown as a scaled prototype at CES 2025. Extreme lunar temperatures from about 110°C to –170°C make thermal management and battery performance the critical design constraints.
Technical Brief
- Vermeer and Interlune’s earlier joint development produced a full-scale, all-electric prototype excavator in May 2025.
- That prototype is specified to process up to 100 tonnes of lunar regolith per hour.
- Excavation design envelope currently targets regolith to depths of three metres below the lunar surface.
- Interlune’s process route includes in situ helium‑3 extraction, then packaging for return transport to Earth.
- Komatsu entered the same off‑world plant space in 2023 with a fully electric lunar excavator concept.
- Komatsu’s concept was physically de-risked via a scaled prototype exhibited at CES 2025 in Las Vegas.
- Airless lunar conditions eliminate combustion engines entirely, forcing full electrification and sealed powertrains.
- Extreme thermal cycling from 110°C to –170°C demands specialised battery chemistries and active thermal control architectures.
Our Take
Vermeer’s work on a lunar-capable excavator for helium-3 sits alongside its recent SM55 surface miner launch, signalling that the company is leveraging terrestrial surface-mining know‑how into extreme-environment automation rather than treating space hardware as a standalone niche.
With only a handful of helium-3 or helium keyword-matched pieces in our database, this Moon Base programme positions these gases more as strategic technology enablers than as routine bulk commodities in current mining coverage.
Designing a 100 t/h, all‑electric regolith system for temperatures up to 110°C by 2028 implies power, autonomy and dust‑management solutions that could later cascade back into high-temperature, remote or no‑ventilation mining applications on Earth, particularly in underground or deep‑pit operations.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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