Editor's Note: On July 20, 1969, humans first landed on the surface of another world. The 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo lunar mission is an apt time to highlight Stratfor's essays and analyses examining the dawn of the second space race — an age in which global players and private companies alike will look to extend their terrestrial power by seeking opportunity beyond Earth's atmosphere. The Second Space Race If space is endless, then so too are the opportunities for exploiting it. The military and commercial applications are simply too great to ignore. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union understood as much, so they tried to best each other as much off the planet as on it. But other countries, not to mention private companies, have since entered the fray.