Probe heading toward moon's far side

Mankind will soon have a deeper understanding of the far side of the moon as a Chinese lunar explorer is scheduled to land there next month.

The Chang'e 4 robotic probe, the first man-made object to make a soft landing on the moon's far side, was lifted atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket early Saturday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province, on an expedition to the lunar region that never faces us.

The spacecraft is expected to journey 26 days before reaching its destination, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp said, predicting Jan 2 as the landing date.