China to attempt probe landing on moon's dark side
China's space ambitions are steadily becoming more ambitious and it is now targeting the far side of the moon for its next lunar probe landing.
China is planning to launch the Chang'e 4 before 2020, Chinese Academy of Sciences moon exploration lead engineer Zou Yongliao revealed to state news firm CCTV on Wednesday. The goal of the next lunar mission is to determine and observe the geological features of the moon's dark side, according to an Associated Press report published by CBC.
Zou said the attempt to do the first-ever lunar probe landing on the moon's dark side could later on lead the team to attempt a radio telescope placement for the benefit of astronomers.
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The main reason for targeting the moon's far side for a lander is exploration of uncharted territory. The mission could yield new discoveries from the samples of rock, soil, and other substances on the moon's surface that would be collected. These things could help humans understand better the way the world and the universe work, Clapway reports.
For some reason, the moon's far side is always facing away from the Earth as its rotation is in sync with its orbit. Thus, the radio transmissions from the planet cannot reach that location. Because of this situation, that side of the moon is an excellent site for the placement of sensitive instruments.
China's next scheduled mission to the moon will be on 2017, and the Asian country will attempt a lander of the unmanned spacecraft to bring back samples before it returns to Earth. Should this mission prove successful, China would become the third country to achieve this feat, after the United States and Russia, the report details.
So far, China's moon exploration program Chang'e has already sent two orbiting lunar probes. In 2013, one of its crafts touched down on the moon carrying a rover. Its next project would probably involve a crewed space mission landing on the moon.
