China Plans To Put Unmanned Spacecraft On Far Side Of The Moon

In the history of mankind, only three countries have put spacecraft on the moon- the US, Russia, and China. China was the last country to do so with its lander placed on the surface of the moon in 2013. China now has bigger plans that will see it blaze a path into new lunar territory, assuming the mission is successful.

China has announced plans to put a lander on to the far side of the moon. The mission will be unmanned and is called Chang'e 4. China has the mission planned for launch by 2020 and plans to use the mission to study the far side lunar geology.

To be able to receive communications from a spacecraft placed on the far side of the moon would require another spacecraft in orbit to relay signals from the far side of the moon back to Earth. The US has to do this with its rover on Mars.

So far China has demonstrated that it has the technical ability and desire to place spacecraft on the moon. It also has the technical ability to build communications satellites. That means a mission to place a lander on the far side of the moon is a possibility rather than a flight of fancy.

SOURCE: PopSci