Chang'e-4 to set off for far side of the Moon

Mankind will soon be able to discover the far side of the moon as a Chinese lunar explorer will start its journey toward the silver sphere Saturday.

The Chang’e 4 mission, the first artifact to touch down on the moon’s far side, will be lifted atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center around 2 am, according to a statement from the Information Office of the Xichang City Government on its WeChat account.

During its multi-week flight toward the moon, the probe will attempt to enter a lunar transfer trajectory and then orbit around the moon before making a soft-landing on the Aitken Basin of the south lunar pole, China Daily has learned.

Tidal forces on Earth slow the moon’s rotation to the point where the same side always faces Earth. The other side, most of which is never visible from Earth, is considered the far side of the moon.

Though the far side has been extensively photographed by spacecraft, starting with a Soviet probe in 1959, no probe has ever made a soft-landing on the surface so scientists around the world have yet to be able to conduct surveys of the landscape.

The Chang’e 4 mission will enable scientists to discover more about the far side of the moon.   Scientists will also be able to take advantage of the far side’s shield against Earth’s interference to make clearer observations into deep space, they said.

In May, China launched a relay satellite tasked with transmitting signals between Chang’e 4 and ground control.