It's being called a milestone in space exploration.<br />China has landed a vehicle on the far side of the moon for the first time in history.<br />The success of such an extraordinary mission underscores China's ambitions to join,... and even lead the space race. <br />Won Jung-hwan reports. <br /> <br /> In a historic first, China landed its Chang'e-4 probe on the far side of the moon on Thursday.<br />It represents a huge milestone for the country as it attempts to position itself as a leading space power.<br />In fact, experts say the success represents a landmark in humankind's exploration of space. <br />As the area where the probe landed faces away from Earth,... it's not possible for the lunar rover to communicate directly with ground control. <br />To solve this issue, China launched a dedicated satellite orbiting the moon last year to relay information from the rover to Earth,… another first in space exploration. <br /><br /> Although a latecomer to space exploration, China is quickly catching up, and is posing a challenge to the traditional powerhouses in the space arena. <br />China's space mission dates back to 2007 when the country launched its first Chang'e probe.<br />It took strides forward by landing a rover, Chang'e-3, on the moon in 2013, joining the U.S. and the former Soviet Union as the only nations to have successfully carried out a soft lunar landing. <br /><br /> Also,... last year, China launched more rockets into space than any other country for the first time ever. <br />The Chang'e-4 will conduct a number of tasks on the far side of the moon, including the world's first lunar low-frequency radio astronomy experiment.<br />It will also observe whether plants can survive in a low-gravity environment.<br /> Beijing is already planning its next mission.<br />It's aiming to operate its third space station by 2022, to put astronauts on a lunar base later that decade, and to send probes to Mars. <br />Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News. <br />
