"A new dash across the skies kicks off in 2026, reigniting geopolitical competition under the guise of peaceful exploration. The moon's south pole is emerging as the most valuable real estate in the solar system, offering peaks of eternal light for solar arrays and ice deposits in craters shielded from the sun. The US and a China-led bloc are eyeing the lunar surface and its potential to control a post-terrestrial economy."
"Space had been humanity's last commons, supposedly shielded by the 1967 UN outer space treaty that bans state exploitation of the heavens. It is vague, however, on private claims a loophole that is now fuelling a tycoon-led scramble for the stars. The aim is obvious: to act first, shape norms and dare others to object. Two lunar missions launching next year Nasa's Artemis II and China's Chang'e 7 are competing for strategic supremacy."
Cold War lunar competition proved American technological and political superiority, then faded after the 1969 moon landing. A new lunar dash begins in 2026, reviving geopolitical rivalry under a peaceful-exploration narrative. The Moon's south pole offers eternal-light peaks for solar power and crater ice for water and fuel, making it strategically valuable. Legal ambiguity in the 1967 UN outer space treaty leaves private claims unclear, prompting tycoon-led commercial grabs. The US favors private-sector leadership, shrinking NASA funding and promoting the Artemis accords that extend terrestrial ownership concepts. China and Russia pursue a state-led International Lunar Research Station with global-south partners.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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