China's Queqiao satellite, transmitting a signal from the Chang'e 4 lunar probe, has sent back an amazing photo image of the "dark side" of the Moon and distant Earth.

The Queqiao repeater satellite is in halo orbit at a distance of 65,000 to 80,000 km from the Moon.

The Chang'e 4 station was launched on December 7, and on January 2 the probe carried out the world's first soft landing on the far side of the Moon in the 186 km wide Von Karman crater. The Yutu 2, a six-wheeled rover, had already left the landing site and reached the edge of a smaller crater inside Von Karman Crater. He must work on the planet for at least three months.

An image taken by the Queqiao satellite. Photo: Andrew Jones/Twitter

Far side of the Moon as seen by satellite. Photo: Andrew Jones/Twitter

Among the main tasks of the mission is the study of the lunar soil, as well as testing the possibility of radio astronomy observations in the absence of interference from the Earth. According to the results of the research, scientists will consider the possibility of placing a small radio telescope on the surface of the Moon.

In addition, a biological experiment will be carried out in the landing platform of the probe. So, in the device sent to the Moon, a sealed container with seeds of potatoes and Arabidopsis thaliana plants, as well as silkworm eggs, was installed.

Scientists want to test whether it is possible to create a closed ecosystem in spacecraft, in which the larvae will produce carbon dioxide, which plants can convert into oxygen through photosynthesis.

The Queqiao satellite was launched in May last year.

The previous image of the far side of the Moon and Earth was taken in 2014.

This was the picture from 2014

On January 3, China's Chang'e-4 probe successfully landed on the far side of the moon.
Earlier it was reported that China launched the Chang'e-4 lunar probe, which should make the first ever landing on the far (“dark”) side of the moon.

A new chapter has been opened in lunar exploration: China's Chang'e-4 space probe landed safely on the far side of the moon on its first attempt.

According to the Chinese space agency, at 10:26 a.m. Beijing time (02:26 GMT), the device touched the lunar surface in the region of one of the largest craters in the entire solar system - the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

"This is an important milestone in Chinese space exploration," said Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar program.

The probe delivered equipment to the Moon, with the help of which a number of experiments and studies will be carried out.

The first pictures from the satellite have already been sent to Earth and published by Chinese state media.

Since direct communication with the probe is not possible, all forwarded images and data are first transmitted to the relay satellite and only then get to Earth.

For the first time in history

Chang'e-4 is a Chinese automatic interplanetary station for the study of the moon and outer space. It consists of a stationary lunar station and a lunar rover.

It has built in:

• video camera;
• geological radar for studying the lunar soil;
• infrared spectrometer for the study of minerals;
• instrument for studying the effect of the solar wind on the lunar surface.

This is the first landing on the far side of the moon in history and a huge step in the study and exploration of space.

On board the lunar rover, in a sealed container, there are seeds of potatoes, rapeseed, plants of Tal's arabidopsis, and silkworm larvae. Scientists will check whether a biosystem can exist in such conditions.

In recent years, many flights have been made to the Earth's satellite. Most missions were limited to orbit, some flew past.

The last crewed landing on the moon was made by the Apollo 17 spacecraft in 1972.

The far side of the Moon is often called dark, but in reality it is that part of the lunar surface that is not visible from Earth. The Moon and the Earth rotate synchronously, so the surface of only one of the hemispheres of the satellite is visible from the Earth.

There are more craters and denser soil on the far side of the Moon.

China's plans for space

China aspires to become one of the leading space powers along with the US and Russia.

In 2017, Beijing announced the preparation of a manned expedition to the moon. China plans to start building its own space station next year and complete it by 2022.

The BBC correspondent in Beijing, John Sadworth, notes that before the successful landing of the Chang'e-4, almost nothing was known about the preparations for this mission.

China in 2003 became the third country after the USSR and the USA to independently launch a man into space.

Details Published: 01/03/2019 07:06

The Chinese space probe Chang "e-4 ("Chang'e-4") became the first device in history to reach the surface of the dark side. The purpose of the mission is to conduct radio astronomy observations and studies of the structure and composition of the lunar surface.

The moon is responsible for the tides on Earth and rotates at the same speed as our planet, so the far side - or "dark side" - is never visible from Earth. Previously, spacecraft have inspected this part of the satellite, but no one has made contact with it.

The Chinese space probe Chang "e-4 successfully landed on the dark side of the moon. This was announced on Thursday, January 3, by the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. The spacecraft, named after the Chinese mythical goddess living on the moon, landed on the surface of the Earth's satellite in 2:26 GMT.

The landing was carried out at the South Pole of the Moon. It is worth noting that up to this point, spacecraft have already made observations over this hemisphere, but have not landed on it. The technical complexity of the operation lies in the fact that with such a maneuver, the equipment is completely deprived of a direct connection with the Earth. To solve the problem, the Chinese launched a special satellite that acts as an intermediary and relays signals.

China sent the world's first probe to explore the dark side of the moon on Dec. 8. It took about 3 days to reach the satellite's orbit. The launch of the Chang'e-4 was another milestone in the development of the Chinese space program.

The probe consists of a lander and a rover equipped with a panoramic camera, instruments and sensors. The mission of the first spacecraft in history to land on the Moon includes radio astronomy observations, studies of the structure and composition of the lunar surface, as well as measurements of neutron radiation and neutral atoms.

Xinhua published a wide-angle color image of a lunar crater on its official microblog. The Von Karma crater is one of the most unexplored areas on the far side of our satellite, almost 2 thousand km long and up to 10 km deep.

And the head of NASA congratulated colleagues from China on the new achievement, noting the importance and historicity of the event.

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 (@JimBridestine) January 3, 2019

China is aiming to overtake the US and Russia and is making very ambitious plans for space exploration: by 2022 the country plans to launch its own manned space station, and also send an exploration mission to Jupiter by 2029.

However, while China insists that its ambitions are purely peaceful, the US Department of Defense has accused it of acting to prevent other countries from using space assets during the crisis. In addition to its civilian research, Beijing has tested anti-satellite missiles, and the US Congress has banned NASA from bilateral cooperation with its Chinese counterpart due to security concerns. Reuters .

So far, the US is the only country to have landed humans on the moon. President Donald Trump has said that in 2017 he wants to return astronauts to the lunar surface and establish a base for a possible mission there.

China also stated in 2017 that preparing to take a man to the moon. In 2003, it became the third country, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to send a man into space on its own rocket, and in 2013 conducted its first lunar "soft landing".