As shown by the recent SpaceNews editorials by Mustafa Bilal and Stirling Forbes, there is currently much talk of a coming lunar “gold rush,” with nations and companies seemingly in a mad scramble to access the moon for its alleged resources. But how realistic is this vision, and could the pursuit of it do more harm than good — both in space and on Earth?

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Ian Crawford is a professor of planetary science and astrobiology at Birkbeck College, University of London, UK.