China created space exploration history today by being the first country to have successfully landed a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon. While the Moon is relatively a stone’s throw away from Earth (just 384,400km away), the far side has remained unexplored.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) probe touched in the unexplored South Pole-Aitken basin, which is also known as the largest, oldest and deepest crater on the moon’s surface. The far side of the Moon is the hemisphere of the Moon that always faces away from Earth.
Spacecraft have taken pictures of the moon’s far side before, but no lander has ever touched down there. The move marks a step towards China’s ambition to become a leading power in space exploration alongside the US and Russia.
After the landing, the probe transmitted what is effectively the first ever close-up shot of the surface on the far side.
According to the CNSA,
Once the rover touched down safely on the lunar planet, it will begin its mission to explore the inner workings of the moon. It will be carrying a whole bunch of instruments, including tools that will help it understand the Moon’s geology. Chang’e-4 will also be conducting some experiments that will test out the possibility of growing living things there.
As of yet, no Transformers were found.
