China launches mission to far side of moon  12/08/2018 03:12:01 

China has launched a ground-breaking mission to land a spacecraft on the largely unexplored far side of the moon, demonstrating its growing ambitions as a space power to rival Russia, the European Union and the US.

A Long March 3B rocket carrying a lunar probe blasted off at 2.23am on Saturday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province in southwestern China, the official Xinhua News Agency said.




China landed its Yutu, or "Jade Rabbit," rover on the moon five years ago and plans to send its Chang'e 5 probe there next year and have it return to Earth with samples - the first time that will have been done since 1976. A crewed lunar mission is also under consideration.




Chang'e is the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology.

China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, making it only the third country after Russia and the US to do so.

It has put a pair of space stations into orbit, one of which is still operating as a precursor to a more than 54-tonne station that is due to come online in 2022. The launch of a Mars rover is planned for the mid-2020s.


China's space program has benefited from cooperation with Russia and European nations, although it was excluded from the 381-tonne International Space Station, mainly due to US legislation barring such cooperation amid concerns over its strong military connections.


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