China's booming space program may soon put the US and Russia to shame

REUTERS/Jason Lee

Space exploration for China didn't exactly blast off.

By the time China launched its first satellite, the US had already landed men on the moon - twice. And China didn't send a person into space until 2003, even then by relying heavily on Russian hardware.

But that has all changed. China's space program is booming.

"[T]he Chinese are ... vaulting ahead," writes astronomer Chris Impey wrote in his book "Beyond: Our Future in Space." "Their Long March rocket is original and has quickly eclipsed Russian rockets."

Today the China National Space Administration (CNSA) continues to innovate, channeling national ambition into an aggressive moon exploration program and a brand-new space station.

"Unlike one of the stereotypes that they're just sort of copying our technology, they're actually innovating," Impey recently told NPR's Fresh Air host Terry Gross. "They have very young engineers in their space program - very keen, very well trained, very ambitious."

Keep scrolling to see what China's impressive space agency has been up to lately.