China’s lunar satellite Chang’e-4 successfully lands on the other half of the Moon: A Chinese spacecraft successfully landed on the far side of the moon on Thursday. The state media said that it was a momentous first landing and an important step for China’s space programme.
China Moon mission lands Chang’e-4 spacecraft on far side
The Chang’e-4 lunar probe was launched in December 2018. It landed on moon at 0226 GMT and transmitted the close range image of the other half of the moon that is also known as the dark side of the moon. The movement of Moon around the Earth is constant along with the orbit, so both celestial bodies rotate at the same rate that is why the dark side of the Moon is not visible from the earth. Other aircrafts have also captured the dark side of the Moon but none had landed over that side. Chang’e-4 has become the first ever satellite to land on that side of the Moon.
The broadcaster specifically said that the landing of Chang’e-4 “opened a new chapter in human lunar exploration” and “lifted the mysterious veil”. Well, it is true that Chang’e-4 has lifted the mysterious blanket from the dark side of the Moon.
China’s Chang’e-4 mission lands on Moon’s far side, snaps first image
The satellite covering a lander and a rover entered the Moon’s orbit in mid-December and then landed at a preselected landing location. Xinhua news agency posted a wide-angle colour picture of satellite and a crater of the moon’s surface to its official micro-blog.
The Chang’e-4 is meant for many purposes but the main tasks it circles are astronomical observation, surveying the moon’s land, landform and mineral composition, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the atmosphere of the dark side of the Moon.
At this rate, China would surely end up becoming a major space power and will catch up with Russia and the United States. China has sworn that its goals are peaceful but U.S. Defense Department has accused China of following activities that could be used during a crisis from the space resources.
China became the third country in 2013 to send a man in space through its own rocket and in 2013 completed its first lunar landing. China’s Chang’e-3 moon lander and its Yutu rover safely landed on the moon on 14 December 2013 at about 8:11 am.
U.S. Congress has banned NASA from two-sided support with its China due to security worries. Beijing has verified anti-satellite missiles other than the neutral goals of China. China also said in 2017 it was making arrangements to send a human to the Moon.
