On January 3rd 2019, China announced that it had successfully landed a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon, making it the first country to do so. The Chang'e 4 lander touched down in what is known as the Von Karman Crater at 2:26 GMT. The lander sent back the first close up images of the Moon's far side. They were transmitted back to Earth via a relay satellite called "Queqaio" or "Magpie Bridge," which was placed in orbit before the mission.
12 hours after the Chang'e 4 landed, a rover named Yutu 2 or Jade Rabbit 2 drove off the lander and began exploring the lunar surface. The Chang'e 4 lander also carried along a mini bioshpere which contained a small arabidopsis plant, which the Chinese hope will produce the first flower on the Moon. Cotton, rapeseed, and yeast are present there as well. The mission will also carry out the first astronomy observation from the Moon's far side.
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