China Could Beat US to Moon as New Space Race Heats Up

Though the U.S. had no real competition from the Soviet Union during the 1960s moon race, the current effort to put fresh bootprints on the lunar surface is shaping up as a far stiffer contest between the U.S. and China, with space experts calling the 2020s a "decisive decade" and warning that whoever gets to the moon first will likely dominate the remainder of the century in the skies – and on the ground.

The U.S. has already been to the moon and back – albeit 50 years ago –and boasts a storied space program with myriad achievements. But for more than a decade, the American space effort has been increasingly characterized by its stumbles and halting advancements, providing an opening for Beijing.