China launches its first probe on the dark moon

China on Saturday launched the first probe ever landed on the dark side of the moon, marking a turning point in its ambitious space program.

The Chang-e-4 probe is expected to land smoothly for the first time on the other side of the moon, according to the Xinhua official news agency.

Space vehicles have already reached this side of the moon, but none of them has ever landed there, according to the Reuters news agency.

The moon is constrained by the movement of the tides and has about the same rate as our planet, so that the hidden face can never be seen from the Earth.

The development of China's space program is a priority for Chinese leaders.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on China to establish itself as a space power.

A Long March-3B rocket was launched at 02:23 (18:23 GMT) bearing the probe, as well as a landing craft and a moving vehicle from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China. Xinhua announced.

The functions of the probe (Chang & # 39; e-4) include low frequency radio astronomy, surface and surface surveys, metal composition detection, neutron beam measurement, and neutral atoms to study l / '. environment off the moon, said the Chinese Space Administration.

China is trying to catch up with Russia and the United States to become a major force of space by 2030.

And plans to launch a new inhabited space station next year.

While China insists that its ambitions are purely peaceful, the US Department of Defense accuses it of pursuing activities aimed at preventing other countries from using space equipment in time. crisis.