The United States and China are caught in a race to return to the Moon. The two superpowers are hoping to reach the lunar surface by 2028 and 2030, respectively, in a rivalry that could have sweeping geopolitical implications.

And it’s not just a matter of furthering our scientific understanding of our closest cosmic neighbor, either — companies are clamoring to extract highly valuable resources from the Moon, as Islamabad-based Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies research assistant Mustafa Bilal wrote in a new opinion piece for SpaceNews.

Case in point, Helsinki-based cryogenics company Bluefors signed an agreement with space commercialization startup Interlune last month, agreeing to purchase up to ten thousand liters of lunar helium-3 extracted from the Moon, a deal that it says c

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