There is something disturbingly arrogant about the current focus on the moon and the fawning chorus acclaiming the Artemis II mission. The commentary from Florida as the moon rocket launched was of “humanity’s next great voyage beginning”.

Two years ago, a report of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) purred about how its Artemis moon programme is one driven by “ethical and societal considerations” with a “core value of inclusion”.

Lunar missions are no longer the preserve of white men, so that supposedly makes them shine, and because there are accords with multiple nations, there is, the narrative goes, no question of moon wars.

History would suggest otherwise. As James Clay Moltz, author of the 2008 book The Politics of Space Security, put it, “conflicts regarding new frontiers have plagued the history of international relations for centuries”. In the late 1950s, military analysts were predicting the moon would become a “high ground” for defence and associated military operations, especially after the Soviet Union beat the US into space with the Sputnik satellite in 1957.

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