Watch China's lunar probe land on the far side of the moon

China lunar probe landing on far side of the moon.

(Image credit: Screenshot/China National Space Administration via Twitter)

published 11 January 2019

China's lunar probe wants to share its most historic moment.

After becoming the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon last week, the Chang'e 4 probe showed off its discovery with some panoramic pictures released Monday. On Friday, China's space agency shared video of when Chang'e 4 first made its revolutionary achievement.

Chang'e 4 took off from China on Dec. 8 and successfully landed Jan. 3. The lunar lander released its Yutu 2 rover a few hours later, and, after taking a "noon nap" to avoid hot sunlight earlier this week, the rover is ready to roll, Space.com says. Yutu 2 is set to investigate one of the solar system's largest and deepest impact craters. It'll also check out how solar wind affects the moon's surface and see how seeds and silkworm eggs grow and change in the moon's environment, per Popular Mechanics.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.