Chang’e-4 Far Side Moon Landing
On January 3, 2019, China’s Chang’e-4 spacecraft achieved the first-ever soft landing on the Moon’s far side, touching down in the Von Kármán crater within the South Pole-Aitken Basin—one of the largest and oldest impact craters in the solar system. The mission marked a historic first and demonstrated China’s advancing space capabilities.
Landing on the far side required solving unique challenges: the Moon blocks direct radio communication with Earth, necessitating the Queqiao relay satellite positioned at the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange point to bounce signals. No previous mission attempted far-side landing due to communication complexity and uncertain terrain conditions.
Chang’e-4 deployed the Yutu-2 rover (“Jade Rabbit”), which became the longest-operating lunar rover by 2023, traversing 1,400+ meters and operating 58+ lunar days (Earth months). The rover analyzed subsurface layers using ground-penetrating radar, studied radiation exposure for future crewed missions, and conducted astronomy observations from the radio-quiet far side.
The landing generated 35+ million impressions as international space agencies congratulated China on the achievement. The mission also carried experiments from Germany, Sweden, and Saudi Arabia, showcasing growing international collaboration in Chinese space endeavors despite geopolitical tensions.
Chang’e-4 demonstrated China’s methodical lunar exploration program: Chang’e-1 and Chang’e-2 orbiters (2007, 2010), Chang’e-3 near-side lander (2013), Chang’e-4 far-side landing (2019), Chang’e-5 sample return (2020), and plans for crewed landings in the 2030s. The far-side achievement positioned China as a leading lunar exploration power alongside the U.S. and Russia.
https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english https://www.nature.com/ https://moon.bao.ac.cn