TEHRAN, December 31 - Orbiting the moon, China’s Chang’e 4 lunar lander has moved into position in preparation for mankind’s first landing on the far side of Earth’s only natural satellite.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - In entering its planned orbit on Sunday, the Chinese spacecraft will "prepare for the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon," stated the China National Space Administration, cited by the state-owned Xinhua media outlet.
Beijing did not immediately make available details on when the landing will occur, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Locked in a tidal embrace with the same lunar face always aimed at the Earth, the moon's far side — also known as the ‘dark' side — has not been explored on the surface, although numerous orbital flyovers have made detailed maps.
The Chang'e 4 spacecraft, launched December 7 on a Long March-3B rocket, initially entered lunar orbit five days later on December 12, deploying a landing craft and a surface rover in preparation for its descent.
As reported by Xinhua, the spacecraft entered an elliptical orbit around the moon at 8:55 a.m., Beijing time (12:55 a.m. GMT) on December 12. Pericenter — the closest the orbital object comes to its celestial host as it speeds past — is reported as being a mere 9 miles above the rocky surface, according to SCMP.
Viewed by the international science community as a key mission in Beijing's burgeoning space program, Chang'e 4 will make astronomical observations, survey lunar terrain and study the composition of minerals.
The spacecraft will also measure neutron radiation and various other radio-, light- and gravity-energy metrics as a means of studying the little-known far side of the moon.
Source: Sputnik
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