China Lunar Spacecraft in Position for Humanity’s 1st-Ever Dark Side Landing

In entering its planned orbit on Sunday, the Chinese spacecraft will "prepare for the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon," stated the China National Space Administration, cited by the state-owned Xinhua media outlet.

Beijing did not immediately make available details on when the landing will occur, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Locked in a tidal embrace with the same lunar face always aimed at the Earth, the moon's far side — also known as the ‘dark' side — has not been explored on the surface, although numerous orbital flyovers have made detailed maps.

The Chang'e 4 spacecraft, launched December 7 on a Long March-3B rocket, initially entered lunar orbit five days later on December 12, deploying a landing craft and a surface rover in preparation for its descent.

As reported by Xinhua, the spacecraft entered an elliptical orbit around the moon at 8:55 a.m., Beijing time (12:55 a.m. GMT) on December 12. Pericenter — the closest the orbital object comes to its celestial host as it speeds past — is reported as being a mere 9 miles above the rocky surface, according to SCMP.

Viewed by the international science community as a key mission in Beijing's burgeoning space program, Chang'e 4 will make astronomical observations, survey lunar terrain and study the composition of minerals.

The spacecraft will also measure neutron radiation and various other radio-, light- and gravity-energy metrics as a means of studying the little-known far side of the moon.