Location: Longjiang 🌎

Chang’e 4 (; Chinese: 嫦娥四号; pinyin: Cháng’é Sìhào; lit. ‘Chang’e No. 4’) is a robotic spacecraft mission, part of the second phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. China achieved humanity’s first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, on 3 January 2019.A communication relay satellite, Queqiao, was first launched to a halo orbit near the Earth–Moon L2 point in May 2018. The robotic lander and Yutu-2 (Chinese: 玉兔二号; pinyin: Yùtù Èrhào; lit. ‘Jade Rabbit No. 2’) rover were launched on 7 December 2018 and entered lunar orbit on 12 December 2018, before landing on the Moon’s far side. The mission is the follow-up to Chang’e 3, the first Chinese landing on the Moon. The spacecraft was originally built as a backup for Chang’e 3 and became available after Chang’e 3 landed successfully in 2013. The configuration of Chang’e 4 was adjusted to meet new scientific and performance objectives. Like its predecessors, the mission is named after Chang’e, the Chinese Moon goddess. In November 2019, Chang’e 4 mission team was awarded Gold Medal by the Royal Aeronautical Society. In October 2020, the mission was awarded the World Space Award by the International Astronautical Federation. Both were the first time for any Chinese mission to receive such awards.