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China’s space administration has released video showing its Chang’e-4 drone making history by touching down on the moon’s far side.
The Chang’e-4 landed on January 3rd in the unexplored South Pole-Aitken basin, the largest, oldest, and deepest basin on the moon’s surface. Previous moon missions have mostly focused on the Earth-facing side of the moon. Spacecraft have taken photos of the moon’s far side, but no landing had ever been attempted there.
The probe’s mission has been declared a complete success by the China National Space Administration.
It has been tasked with carrying out geological tests at the Aitken basin to try to learn more about its origin, as well as taking photos, culminating in the first 360-degree panoramic photo of the far side of the moon.
The Yutu-2 rover. Image credit: CNSA.