ZHUKOVSKY (Moscow Region), August 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's aerospace corporation, Energiya, intends to begin producing helium III, an environmentally clean fuel that cannot be produced on Earth, on the Moon.

Energiya President Nikolai Sevastyanov announced the news at a press conference at the MAKS 2005 air show Thursday.

"This is the thermonuclear energy of the future, a new environmentally clean fuel that cannot be produced on Earth," Sevastyanov said. "We are talking about the industrial exploration of the Moon for helium III production."

The corporation also plans to launch a transportation service between Earth and the Moon using Soyuz rockets.