A New Space Race

The United States has put astronauts on the moon, explored Mars with rovers, and rocketed a probe 3.2 billion miles from Earth.

But China’s young space program recently achieved something the U.S. hasn’t. It landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon.

U.S. astronauts have visited only the near side of the moon. That’s the area visible from Earth. Landing on the far side—which never faces our planet—is extremely difficult, according to experts.

So far, the craft China landed has sent back images never seen before and proved that a plant can grow in space. The mission is a stepping-stone toward the country’s larger goal: to have people living on the moon by 2030.

“China’s space program has developed so rapidly, it’s just stunning,” says space geologist Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society, a U.S. nonprofit group that promotes space education.

That progress isn’t surprising. China has vowed to become the top country in space—and on Earth—within the next few decades.

What will that mean for the U.S. and for you? Here are three things you need to know.

The United States has put astronauts on the moon. It has also explored Mars with rovers and rocketed a probe 3.2 billion miles from Earth.

But China’s young space program recently achieved something the U.S. has not. It landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon.

U.S. astronauts have visited only the near side of the moon. That is the area that can be seen from Earth. The far side of the moon never faces our planet. Experts say that landing on the far side is very difficult.

So far, the craft China landed has sent back images never seen before. It also proved that a plant can grow in space. China’s mission is a stepping-stone toward the country’s larger goal: to have people living on the moon by 2030.

“China’s space program has developed so rapidly, it’s just stunning,” says Emily Lakdawalla, a space geologist. She works at the Planetary Society, a U.S. nonprofit group that promotes space education.

China’s progress is not surprising. It has vowed to become the top country in both space and on Earth within the next few decades.

What will that mean for the U.S. and for you? Here are three things you need to know.

Being a leader in space is key for defense—and status throughout the world. Few nations have the financial or technological means to launch a spacecraft.

The U.S. has dominated space exploration for 50 years. But in the 1960s, the nation was in a heated race with the Soviet Union to be the first to achieve space milestones. That struggle was part of the Cold War, a larger battle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union for political and military dominance. The space race essentially ended in 1969, when U.S. astronauts landed on the moon—a feat no other nation has been able to match.

Now China wants to knock the U.S. out of space’s top spot, and not just for bragging rights. The U.S. has more satellites than China and can use them to aim missiles and bombs accurately and communicate with U.S. troops around the world. China wants to match those abilities.

Being a leader in space is key for defense and status in the world. Few nations have the financial or technological means to launch a spacecraft.

The U.S. has dominated space exploration for 50 years. In the 1960s, the U.S. was in a heated race with the Soviet Union to be the first to achieve space milestones. That struggle was part of the Cold War, a larger battle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union for political and military power. The space race mostly ended in 1969. That was when U.S. astronauts landed on the moon. No other nation has been able to match that feat.

Now China wants to knock the U.S. out of space’s top spot. It does not want to do this simply for bragging rights. The U.S. has more satellites than China. The U.S. can use them to aim missiles and bombs accurately and communicate with U.S. troops around the world. China wants to match those abilities.

The U.S. has never tried to reach the moon’s far side. Still, getting there first let China show off its technological might on the world stage. And there’s more to come, including a Mars rover next year and a space station in 2022.

China is just as ambitious here on Earth. Its president, Xi Jinping, wants to turn his country into a superpower. That just might be possible. In less than 50 years, China has transformed itself from a poor, unstable nation into an economic giant. Experts predict it will surpass the U.S. as the world’s top economy by 2030.

China has been using its newfound wealth to invest in infrastructure and in its military—amassing one of the world’s biggest navies. Its manufacturing industry is huge. And China has become more active in world politics. It recently pledged $1 billion to help end violent conflicts across the globe.

The U.S. has never tried to reach the moon’s far side. Getting there first let China show off its technological might on the world stage. And there is more to come. That includes a Mars rover next year and a space station in 2022.

China is just as ambitious here on Earth. Xi Jinping is the president of China. He wants to turn his country into a superpower. That just might be possible. China was a poor and unstable nation. But it has turned itself into an economic giant in less than 50 years. Experts predict it will surpass the U.S. as the world’s top economy by 2030.

China has been using its newfound wealth to invest in infrastructure and in its military. It has built one of the world’s biggest navies. Its manufacturing industry is huge. And China has become more active in world politics. It recently pledged $1 billion to help end violent conflicts around the globe.

If China’s major goals are realized—in space or on Earth—the U.S. could lose some of its influence on world politics. That’s especially concerning because China’s Communist government restricts basic freedoms, including by censoring the internet and imprisoning its citizens for criticizing the country’s leaders.

But the U.S. has been fighting back against China’s power grab. For example, last summer U.S. President Donald Trump set high tariffs on imported Chinese goods, and he has raised them twice since. His aim is to force China to ease its restrictions on U.S. companies.

Still, China’s global ambitions could spark more U.S. human space exploration. NASA plans to send people to the moon in five years and to Mars in the 2030s—a mission China can only dream of right now.

Who knows? Maybe two decades from now, you’ll be one of the astronauts on board that first human mission to Mars.

If China’s major goals are achieved in space or on Earth, the U.S. could lose some of its influence on world politics. That is especially concerning because China’s Communist government restricts basic freedoms. This includes censoring the internet and putting its citizens in jail for criticizing the country’s leaders.

But the U.S. has been fighting back against China’s power grab. For example, last summer U.S. President Donald Trump set high tariffs on imported Chinese goods. He has raised tariffs twice since. His aim is to force China to ease its restrictions on U.S. companies.

China’s global ambitions could still spark more U.S. human space exploration. NASA plans to send people to the moon in five years and to Mars in the 2030s. That is a mission China can only dream of right now.

Who knows? Maybe two decades from now, you will be one of the astronauts on board that first human mission to Mars.