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As expected, the Chinese space agency CNSA on Friday launched the spacecraft Chang & # 39; e 4 heading towards the far side of the Moon. This is the first time that a probe will land in the lunar hemisphere, which is impossible. Seen from the Earth.
The spacecraft will take approximately three days to reach its destination, where it will remain approximately three weeks in orbit until the landing is on or about January 1st. This will occur in the Von Kármán crater, a relatively flat point on the other side of the Moon, a face of our natural satellite already seen and mapped by orbital probes, the Chinese mission entering history as the first to land there.
The mission of the mission is to study the geology of this other lunar side, the probe badyzing the soil of the moon, including the potential culture of plant life. In addition, radio astronomy experiments will be conducted for the first time in order to create a lunar base for further exploration.
To be able to communicate with Earth, the rover will have a satellite retransmission launched by the space agency Chinese in May this year. The Queqiao satellite revolves around an area beyond the Moon, exactly at a point where lunar gravity and Earth's gravity counterbalance each other. And from that moment, the satellite can communicate with the Earth and the surface of the hidden side of the Moon where the probe Chang & # 39; e 4 will land.
China has invested heavily in the development of its space program, both by the CNSA and by state-supported enterprises. The country has invested more than $ 217 million in 2018 in this direction, having already invested $ 230 million last year. And the next Chinese space missions are already under development, with Chang's surveillance aircraft 5 and 6 planning for manned flights over the next decade.
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