n [ sing ]
the competition between the US and the former USSR to develop spacecraft and send them successfully into space. The USSR was the early leader in 1957 with the Sputnik satellite, but the Americans were ahead by 1969 when the Apollo program landed men on the moon. The space race was once thought to have military importance, but the US and Russia now work together, e.g. in developing future space stations.
See also Strategic Defense Initiative .