The Diplomat republished Chaitanya Giri's article on the mining of rare-earth elements in space. He opines that increasing demand for REE coupled with limited supply of it in Earth has intensified such extra-terrestrial explorations.

An increase in the global demand for rare earth elements, used in high-technology industries, coupled with limited supplies on Earth, has accelerated extra-terrestrial exploration. International cooperation and competition for these space-based resources will determine the next human footprint and race in space.