China Lands On The Far Side Of The Moon
China landed Chang’e-4 inside of Von Karman crater on the far side of the Moon 10:26 a.m. BJT Thursday.
This is the first time anyone has landed a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon. An image of the lunar surface was sent back via the Queqiao relay satellite operating in a halo orbit around the second Lagrangian (L2) point of the earth-moon system. Chang’e-4 includes a lander and a rover that will study the mineral composition and perform low-frequency radio astronomical observations.
NASA Administrator Bridenstine issued a congratulatory tweet shortly after the landing was announced.
Congratulations to China’s Chang’e-4 team for what appears to be a successful landing on the far side of the Moon. This is a first for humanity and an impressive accomplishment! pic.twitter.com/JfcBVsjRC8
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) January 3, 2019
For background on this mission please have a look at this video of NASAWatch/SpaceRef editor Keith Cowing on CGTN several hours before the landing and on Deutsche Welle just after the landing.
