3. China
Points – 22
China’s National Space Administration has been around since 1993, but it was preceded by the original space program which was launched in 1956. It has an official budget of $500 million, although it seems to always be updated upwards, which puts the number closer to $1.3 billion in reality.
The country has a few projects of its own, including Tiangong, the space laboratory module that’s been orbiting Earth since 2011, as well as a lunar lander and rover called Chang’e 3. The agency also collaborates in various other space programs alongside many nations around the world, including the United States.
