Since 2003, China has made major breakthroughs in its space program, including becoming the third country after Russia and the United States to put a human in space.

It successfully completed a spacewalk in 2008.

China has recently revealed ambitious plans aimed at putting the country on the global map for space exploration.

“Scientific development is always key to any country’s growth. Now China can contribute on another level,” said Daniel Henderson, 9.

They have plans to put up laboratories, collect samples form the moon, and also prepare to build space stations within the next five years.

The country’s long term goal is a manned lunar landing.

In November, the successful automated docking and return of an unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou-8, paved the way for the creation of China's future space laboratory.

“For once, the U.S. was ahead of China, but now it looks as if China is catching up,” said Ysaith Orellana, 9.

The spaceship blasted off from a launch facility in the Gobi Desert, one month after the first space laboratory module Tiangong-1 was launched into space.

China has stated that it new interest in space exploration is for peaceful purposes. Although, the country’s other space adventures have set off controversies in the past. Like when it shot down one of its dead satellites in 2007.

The move alarmed several officials in the U.S. and other countries and raised concerns about the militarization of the space race.

“It will be interesting to see what China has done in the past 10 years with their space program,” said Nimit Desai, 10.