The core driving force behind the global space exploration journey has always been geopolitical competition. No doubt. From the Cold War-era competition between the US and the Soviet Union to today’s US-China rivalry, the initial motivation for space exploration was often to counter the “potential threat from the other side,” rather than pure scientific curiosity. The Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite in human history (Sputnik 1) in 1957, which suddenly made the US realize that rockets are essentially intercontinental ballistic missiles—missiles that could send satellites over American skies and also deliver nuclear warheads. To suppress the Soviet Union, the US chose a goal that seemed completely unrealistic at the time—“landing on the moon.” President Kennedy elevated the space race to a battle of “freedom versus tyranny,” of course also to secure more funding from Congress. That famous speech gave us the memorable quote: “We choose to go to the moon not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” It was inspiring and galvanizing. When the US planted its flag on the moon first, it marked the end of the previous space race era. Many say the Apollo program ended because the government couldn’t afford it anymore; more accurately, it was because there was no longer a geopolitical motivation to justify such high costs. Today’s US-China space race still has geopolitics at its core, but it has shifted from “planting flags” on the moon to “land grabbing”—competing for resources and the right to set new rules. It will be a long-term contest, more pragmatic than during the Cold War, but possibly also more brutal.