Explainer: Moon mining - Why major powers are eyeing a lunar gold rush?

Russia said that it would launch further lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint Russian-China crewed mission and even a lunar base. NASA has spoken about a "lunar gold rush" and explored the potential of moon mining. The conditions of the moon mean robots would have to do most of the hard work, though water on the moon would allow for long-term human presence. It has not been ratified by any major space power. The United States in 2020 announced the Artemis Accords, named after NASA’s Artemis moon program, to seek to build on existing international space law by establishing “safety zones" on the moon.