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Once the space race between the U.S. and USSR to land the first man on the moon was over, interest in our nearest neighbor waned. After the Soviets final mission of their Luna programme in 1976, no country put a lander on the surface until China's Chang'e 3 mission at the end of of 2013. Other countries focused on the International Space Station and other exploration.
While the U.S. is still the world's top investor in space exploration (accounting for 58% of the world's budget), China has recently surpassed Russia's spending as it works to become a "space power in all respects." In 2018, it became the first country to put a lander on the far side of the moon. China will most likely launch its own space station by 2025 instead of joining other countries in the International Space Station.
Our infographic compares the history of the U.S.'s NASA and China's CNSA.
