On Saturday, China launched the first lunar probe that would explore the dark side of the Moon as part of its space program.
Xinhua reported that the probe, called the Chang'e-4, is expected to be the first to make a soft-landing on the far side of the Moon. Although several space probes have already seen the far side of the Moon, none has landed on the region.
The Moon is tidally locked to the Earth and rotates at the same rate as it orbits the planet. As a result, it is not easy to see its far side.
This latest attempt is a part of President Xi Jinping's call to establish China as a space power.
Xinhua reported that a Long March-3B rocket launched the probe, which came with a lander and a rover, to space from the satellite launch center in Xichang.
Chang'e-4 will be looking into low-frequency radio astronomical observations, detect mineral compositions, measure neutron radiation and survey the terrain and its landforms according to the statement of the China National Space Administration quoted by Xinhua.
