Xinhua: China Lands Chang’e-4 on Moon’s Far Side

China opened up a new frontier in space by successfully landing its Chang’e-4 lunar probe on the side of the Moon not seen from Earth. Previous missions by the United States and the Soviet Union photographed the far side. Because the Moon offers a shield against multiple radio signals from Earth, Chinese scientists anticipate the quiet place to allow improved monitoring of signals from other parts of the universe. For the same reason, the landing required a satellite to provide intricate relay signals. “The scientific tasks of the Chang'e-4 mission include low-frequency radio astronomical observation, surveying the terrain and landforms, detecting the mineral composition and shallow lunar surface structure, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment on the far side of the moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced,” reports state news agency Xinhua. “China has promoted international cooperation in its lunar exploration program, with four scientific payloads of the Chang'e-4 mission developed by scientists from the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Saudi Arabia.” The goal of Chang’e-5 is to return samples, and the lunar mission highlights advances in satellite communications, solar energy, fuel efficiency, remote sensors and more. – YaleGlobal