AMN / WEB DESK
China has successfully launched a relay satellite designed to establish a communication link between the Earth and a lunar probe planned to land on the far side of the Moon.
The launch from a space center in Sichuan Province on Monday morning is part of China’s plan to explore the far side of the Moon with the unmanned Chang’e-4 probe.
State-run China Central Television says the satellite was successfully put into orbit. China aims to be the first country in the world to explore the far side of the Moon.
China plans to build its own space station by around 2022 as part of its vision to become a major space power. Moon exploration is another pillar of its space drive.
In 2013, China became the 3rd country in the world to reach the Moon when its unmanned Chang’e-3 landed on the lunar surface.
China plans to send the Chang’e-4 probe to the Moon’s far side by the end of the year.