Why did the US and Soviet Union engage in the Space Race?

Answer 1

Land men on the moon and return them safely to earth by the end of the decade.

This was the "public" goal declared by president Kennedy.

However the underlying secret goal was to demonstrate which country could throw the largest hydrogen bomb possible the farthest distance and hit a target accurately - without having to actually throw a real hydrogen bomb (and risk starting a war). By getting men to the moon we proved we could deliver any possible hydrogen bomb anywhere we wanted to put it on earth.

Answer 2

In addition to the military advantages of new missile weapons, both the US and the USSR sought to present their economic system as superior to their rival in the development of new technology.

The Space Race was a part of the larger Cold War between the two countries, along with their political allies. Each side realized that orbital satellites had substantial potential for military obsrervation and weapon deployment.

Answer 3

the Space Race was a competition between the Soviet Union and the United States that put an end to the Cold War. Both nations were trying to prove they were more powerful than the other.