"According to state media, the new lunar samples also contain helium-3, a version of the element helium that has long fascinated scientists—and science fiction creators—because of its potential as a nuclear fusion fuel source. This hypothetical form of power aims to harness energy released by atoms that merge under tremendous pressures, such as those in the interiors of stars. Starlight is a ubiquitous product of nuclear fusion, but human-made fusion reactors will still likely take decades to develop, assuming they are feasible at all.
That said, if these reactors do become a reality, helium-3 would be a good fuel candidate because it produces less radioactive byproducts and nuclear waste compared to other atoms. Whereas helium-3 is incredibly scarce on Earth, it is abundant on the Moon, a disparity that has stoked dreams of mining the material on the lunar surface."
