China’s Chang’e 4 spacecraft to attempt historic landing on dark side of moon ‘between January 1 and 3’

China’s lunar lander and rover spacecraft Chang’e 4 could make humankind’s first attempt to soft-land on the dark side of the moon between Tuesday and Thursday, after entering a planned orbit on Sunday morning.

China’s space agency said its control centre in Beijing would choose a suitable time to attempt the landing, but the Smithsonian Institution, the American museums and research centres group, reported that the craft was expected to land on Von Kلrmلn crater landing point at some point between January 1 and 3.