Earlier this year, China achieved a new milestone in space exploration. On Jan 3, Chang'e 4 became the first space probe in history to successfully land on the far side of the moon, People's Daily reported.
From Earth, we can only see one side of the moon. The other side has been a mystery. Scientists have long wondered what lies on this side of the moon.
Chang'e 4 has sent back photos of the far side of the moon. It is also being used to carry out experiments, such as growing seeds in a low-gravity environment. The data collected from these experiments could be used to help us build a base on the moon in the future.
The success of the Chang'e 4 mission is a major achievement for China's space program. It marks a new stage in China's deep space exploration, said Wu Yanhua, deputy head of China National Space Administration.
China launched its lunar exploration program in 2004, naming it Chang'e. Chinese scientists set three goals—"orbiting, landing and sample returning" – referring to launching probes that could circle around the moon, touch down on its surface and bring lunar materials back to Earth.
Chang'e 4 has realized the second goal. The third will be achieved during the Chang'e 5 mission , which is set to take place before the end of this year, China Daily reported.
Following the success of the Chang'e missions, Chinese scientists are looking even farther into our solar system. China's first Mars mission is expected to be carried out by 2020, Wu said.
In addition to the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon, the Chang'e 4 mission has achieved many other firsts. One of them is international cooperation and joint exploration. The experiments will provide valuable data for the scientists.
