Space & Astronomy

China set to visit the far side of the Moon

By T.K. Randall
January 1, 2018

Image: Buzz Aldrin on the Moon
Credit: Neil Armstrong (1969) / (PD) NASA There have been dozens of missions to the Moon over the years, but the far side, which is always facing away from the Earth, remains mostly unexplored.

Now in a renewed bid to become the first country ever to place a lander on the far side, China is aiming to launch two spacecraft later on this year - one with the lander itself and the other with a communications satellite that will relay signals to and from the Earth.

Known collectively as Chang'e 4 after the Chinese moon goddess, the mission represents something of a world first and will catapult China in to the history books as a global leader in lunar exploration.

If all goes to plan, the satellite portion of the mission will be launching in June.


Source: The Guardian

Tags: Moon, China