It's being called a milestone in space exploration.
China has landed a vehicle on the far side of the moon for the first time in history.
The success of such an extraordinary mission underscores China's ambitions to join,... and even lead the space race.
Won Jung-hwan reports.

In a historic first, China landed its Chang'e-4 probe on the far side of the moon on Thursday.
It represents a huge milestone for the country as it attempts to position itself as a leading space power.
In fact, experts say the success represents a landmark in humankind's exploration of space.
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.
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.

Although a latecomer to space exploration, China is quickly catching up, and is posing a challenge to the traditional powerhouses in the space arena.
China's space mission dates back to 2007 when the country launched its first Chang'e probe.
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.

Also,... last year, China launched more rockets into space than any other country for the first time ever.
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.
It will also observe whether plants can survive in a low-gravity environment.
Beijing is already planning its next mission.
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.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.