How to expand access to the critical minerals the world needs0

• SCIENCE, Science / Health, Science Mission Directorate, scientists, Space, Space Communications & Navigation Program, Space Launch System (SLS), Space Telescope, space-x-ipo, SpaceX
• July 8, 2026

When China tightened export licenses for seven rare earth elements in April 2025, Western governments responded in the same way they have to every other critical minerals crisis of the past five years. The European Union accelerated the issuance of extraction permits under the Critical Raw Materials Act. The United States expanded subsidies for domestic