Editor's note: This article is based on an interview with Martin Sweeting, the founder of the Centre for Space and Science at the University of Surrey, the group executive chairman of the Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. and a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. The article reflects the expert's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
January 10, 2019, was another key milestone in the Chang'e-4 lunar mission: the Yutu-2 rover, which had been resting on the far side of the Moon for several days, was awakened as planned. Planned work has been carried out by the Chang'e-4 lander after being separated from the Yutu-2 rover, according to an earlier announcement made by the National Space Administration. Since then, Chang'e-4 ushered in the lunar day high-temperature test, and the patrol machine switched into the "lunch break" mode.
The landing has drawn worldwide attention and the Chinese lunar exploration program has unfolded a new image of China to the world.
The Chang'e-4 lander separated from the Yutu-2 rover and carried out exploration tasks as planned, January 4, 2019. /VCG Photo
Why the landing is so historical and what kind of influence will it exert?
Professor Martin Sweeting, the founder of the Centre for Space and Science at the University of Surrey, the group executive chairman of the Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. and a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said that previous landers from other countries have always landed on the near side, and it is the first time that a spacecraft has landed on the far side of the Moon. To be able to do that, we needed to have an additional satellite sitting out in the orbit to support the communication between the far side of the Moon and the Earth, which is of vital importance.
He added that the lunar mission takes a lot of planning and it lifts the Chinese space program up into a similar level of other established nations and international bodies in the field such as the U.S., Russia, the European Space Agency.
It is unbelievable that China's space technology could make such huge progress and edged into one of the top positions in the world, as it will speed up the world's space exploration quest to reveal much more information about the outer space to better understand who we truly are.
Sweeting said that the mission has attracted a wide range of international acclaims, adding that it is a very demanding project and it is the first time that we have been able to land on the far side of the Moon and carry a wide range of experiments which will give us a detailed understanding of the surface of the far side of the Moon and also help us study radio astronomy which could shield the noises from the Earth.
According to Sweeting, this is a major engineering accomplishment and will provide us with the latest knowledge both on the far side of the Moon and radio astronomy. The opportunity for space science collaboration is very important. Interpreting the data received from the space will strengthen the collaboration between China and other nations.
He concluded that we would like to expand that collaboration to participate in space robotics particularly in lunar and Martian explorations.
Exploring outer space is a common dream of mankind, and China's Yutu-2, which embraces equipment from several countries, will jointly carry out scientific research and promote the progress of the world's space technology.
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