Autobots, roll out! China lands on the dark side of the moon

The Chang'e 4 lunar rover, launched last month, will explore the surface on the far side of the moon, the first probe to do so. Cue Pink Floyd...

China launched a ground-breaking mission to soft-land a spacecraft on the largely unexplored far side of the moon, demonstrating its growing ambitions as a space power to rival Russia, the European Union and US. (December 8, 2018)
AP

China launched a ground-breaking mission to soft-land a spacecraft on the largely unexplored far side of the moon, demonstrating its growing ambitions as a space power to rival Russia, the European Union and US. (December 8, 2018)

A Chinese spacecraft on Thursday made the first-ever landing on the far side of the moon, state media said.

The lunar explorer Chang'e 4 touched down at 10:26 Beijing time (0226 GMT), China Central Television said, and relayed a photo of the "dark side" of the moon to the Queqiao satellite, which will relay communications between controllers on Earth and the far side of the moon.

Chang'e means Moon Goddess, a character from Chinese mythology.

The far side of the moon faces away from Earth and is relatively unexplored. It is also known as the dark side of the moon.

TRT World's Caitlin McGee reports.

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China's space ambitions

The pioneering landing demonstrates China's growing ambitions as a space power. 

In 2013, Chang'e 3 was the first spacecraft to land on the moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976.

The mission of Chang'e 4, which is carrying a rover, includes carrying out low-frequency radio astronomical observations and probing the structure and mineral composition of the terrain.

The Long March 3B rocket carrying Chang'e 4 blasted off on December 8 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southern China.

TRT World spoke to Associate Professor of Astrophysics at Keele University Jacco van Loon.

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2020 probe

In May, a relay satellite "Queqiao," or "Magpie Bridge," named after an ancient Chinese folktale, was launched to provide communications support between Chang'e 4 and Earth.

China plans to send its Chang'e 5 probe to the moon next year and have it return to Earth with samples‚ the first time that will have been done since 1976.

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