China aiming to become space superpower

To achieve space superpower status, China took a major step towards its goal when it became the first nation to land a rover on the far side of the moon in last January.

The Chinese administration now plans to build a scientific research station on the moon's south pole within the next 10 years, China National Space Administration head Zhang Kejian said during a speech marking "Space Day". 

It spends more on its civil and military space programmes than do Russia and Japan and is second only to the United States. Although opaque, its 2017 budget was estimated at $8.4 billion by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

TRT World's Samantha Vadas explains how fast has China developed its aerospace industry over a decade to become a superpower in space;