This is a completely normal thing, because while extraordinary power like natural energy is indeed decent in terms of strength, by the space age, this kind of energy has fallen behind a bit!
Without any prior knowledge of chakra as an extraordinary power, it is extremely difficult for a civilization to manufacture chakra on its own.
Back then, the powerful interstellar civilization encountered by the Otsutsuki clan did not master chakra—the extraordinary power that allows a civilizing race to ascend via psyker power.
Chapter 116