space race

[ speys reys ]

noun

1. a Cold War rivalry in which the United States and the Soviet Union competed for primacy in space exploration, beginning with the Soviet launch of the artificial satellite Sputnik I on October 4, 1957, and effectively ending with the moon landing of the U.S. manned module Eagle on July 20, 1969.

Word History and Origins

Origin of space race¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

But the new space race is no longer about getting to the Moon.

From BBC

When a “space race” between the United States and the Soviet Union erupted in 1957, however, the Cold War amplified the region’s flourishing commercial behemoth.

From Los Angeles Times

An African space race to reach the moon or Mars, in contrast, wouldn’t be helpful: “We’ve got to look at the challenges that we have in Africa and find ways of solving those.”

From BBC

But in an age of renewed great-power politics, this new space race could lead to tensions on Earth being exported to the lunar surface.

From BBC

But as this new space race gets under way, we need to start thinking about what sort of place we want it to be - and whether it risks becoming a setting where very Earthly rivalries are played out.

From BBC