Group of countries led by the United States is seeking to encourage a growing space mining industry. Asteroids contain huge reserves of precious and industrial metals, such as platinum, gold, nickel, and cobalt.
Space may also be part of Earth's climate change solutions. The moon provides huge quantities of rare earth metals needed to make batteries, electronic tools, and advanced military equipment. There is geopolitical interest in their lunar provenance. It is expected that competition for control of the moon will increase between space powers.