WASHINGTON, D.C. — In December, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for a U.S. return to the Moon by 2028. The executive order calls for establishment of a permanent outpost on the Moon by 2030.

The executive order said that U.S. superiority in space was a measure of national vision and willpower, contributing to the nation's strength, security and prosperity. Donald Trump directly created the Artemis programme during his first presidential term. "With President Trump's America-First policies, the United States will lead humanity into space and enter a new era of groundbreaking achievements in space technology and exploration," said Liz Huston, White House spokeswoman.

NASA's Artemis mission will send four astronauts to the Moon. The mission will take the crew further into space than anyone has before. NASA says the Artemis mission is a stepping stone towards a permanent lunar base and eventually Mars.

Three Americans and one Canadian will head to the Moon on Wednesday. A new Moon race is between the United States and China. China has plans to put a crew on the lunar surface in the next few years.

Donald Trump launched a new arm of the Pentagon called Space Force. The Moon contains water ice that can be used for rocket propulsion. The Moon contains rare earth minerals such as lithium and platinum which are critical to electronics and clean energy technology.

On Earth, markets for rare earth minerals and other materials are currently dominated by Chinese mining operations. The element helium-3 can potentially be used to operate small, compact nuclear fusion reactors with relatively long lifespans. Helium-3 currently trades at more than $20,000 per kilogram.