Power players of space exploration are relativelyfew and far between, but the list is growing. India and China are making strides to keep up with and even surpass mature programs like those in the U.S. and Russia.

India recentlysent 31 satellitesfrom 15 different countries into orbit. And in early 2017, it sent 104 satellites into orbit at once the most everfor a single rocket. It surpassed the previous record of 37 setby Russia in 2014.

China is set to send an unmanned probe to the moon to bring back thefirst soil samplesin more than 40 years. By 2018, it's expected to be the first country to soft-land a probe on thefar side of the moon.

India and China are also two of six space agencies in the"heavy-lift" rocket club. China joined at theend of 2016, and in June, Indiasuccessfully launchedsatellite into orbit that's several tons and 13 stories tall.

SEE MORE: A NASA Engineer Has A Creative New Way To Find Missing Rockets

And it doesn't look like they're ready to slow down, either. In the next five years, Indiaplans to send25 rockets into space and spend $6 billion on its space program.

Meanwhile, China is set to build its own space station. Constructionwill start in 2019, and it's expected to be done by 2022. That's two years ahead of thepossible retirementof the International Space Station.

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2 Nations Are Vying To Be The New Heavyweights Of Space Exploration - NewsChannel5.com