The moon is our closest celestial neighbor—and a prize to be won. It has already served as a battleground for one of history’s most epic technological triumphs, the race between the U.S. and the Soviets that put footprints and flags on the lunar surface. In 1969 the U.S. won that battle with NASA’s Apollo program and its “giant leap for mankind,” emerging as the clear leader in human space exploration.
Now a new race for lunar dominance is taking flight.
This time the race is not a sprint toward a single goal—landing humans on the moon—but a marathon that requires a sustained long-term presence on the lunar surface. And this time, the competitors are different: the top contenders are the U.S. and China, but a few other spacefaring nations and commercial companies are also in the game.
The winner not only claims bragging rights but access to lunar resources, especially at the moon’s south pole, where safe landing spots are few and potential payoffs are big. The lunar poles could answer profound questions about the history of our solar system and the processes that that shaped the early Earth and the extent, distribution and origin of volatiles (such as water) on the moon. These volatiles have the power to fundamentally change how we use the moon as a resource. Potable water, breathable air and even potent rocket fuel can be created from such reservoirs, offering the power to transform humanity’s relationship with the moon, making it not only an object of reverence and study but also a staging point for our further expansion into the solar system. Whoever gets there first will set rules for how this might happen. Will the moon’s scientific and economic treasures be available to anyone? Or are they governed by strict and broadly enforced noninterference rules that benefit the winner and exclude anyone else?
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