In the newest round of the global space race, China and the US are competing hard to become the leaders in moon mining.

They want to do this because they want to find rare earth elements and find other valuable resources in space.

(Photo: Clarksville Online)

Defense Intelligence officials stress how important it is from a military point of view to build a base on the moon. Michael Usowski from the Defense Intelligence Agency said, “We see China keeping their foot on the accelerator; they want to be that country that sets the norms in space.”

The U.S. has a longer history of exploring the moon than China, but China has quickly improved its space skills by landing on the moon and sending rovers there. Senator Kevin Cramer talks about how important it is to keep a presence on the moon so that countries like China don’t take advantage of it. He also warns against giving up land and leaving it open to strategic competitors.

U.S. scientists haven’t done a soft landing on the moon since 1972, despite past successes. In contrast, China’s bold Chang’e missions have made great progress, including the first landing on the far side of the moon.

Defense Intelligence officials say that China might not know more about the moon’s make-up than the U.S. has already studied, even though both countries are interested in its riches. The moon, which is thought to contain rare earth elements, becomes the focus of the race, with experts stressing the need to visit it in order to get a good idea of its natural makeup.

John Huth, Chief of the Office of Space and Counterspace at the Defense Intelligence Agency, says, “One of the first things we’ll do when we set up a base on the moon, whether it’s us or the Chinese, is really look at what’s there.”

The idea of a lunar base that can support itself is seen as important for studying the moon’s materials for a long time. But problems still exist. Michael Usowski pointed out that bringing things from the moon back to Earth would need a lot of fuel.

In addition to mining the moon, both China and the US are looking into mining asteroids. Psyche, an asteroid that is thought to hold metals worth $10 quintillion, is becoming a main focus. The fact that a U.S.-funded spaceship is on its way to Psyche is a sign that people are looking for resources beyond our solar system, though there are still worries about possible collisions and the ability to get the resources.

As plans to explore Mars spread around the world, competition for space resources gets tougher. As countries compete for power in the final realm, the space race shows how difficult things can get and how rewarding they could be.