Uranus and Neptune are the Solar System's largest producers of helium-3, an important element for powering fusion engines. Harvester ships collect gas from the planets' atmospheres and refine it into helium-3 in a three-step process. First, electromagnetic fields dispel hydrogen from the collected gas. The remaining gas is cooled to a fraction of a degree above absolute zero, freezing methane impurities and separating the now-liquid helium into helium-3 and helium-4. The lighter helium-3 is siphoned into storage tanks, and the helium-4 and methane are released.
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Neptune rises above Triton's horizon
Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS
The ships carry their cargo to Logistics Support Area Zeus at the Jupiter-Sun L1 Lagrange point via trans-dimensional gate. Facilities on Titania, Uranus' largest moon, and on Triton, Neptune's largest moon, oversee the harvester ships' operations and controls Trans-D travel from the two worlds to LSA Zeus.