This will not be the first time China ventures into space. (Photo : Reuters)
Chang'e-4, a Chinese back-up probe for the Chang'e-3, is being prepared by scientists to be the first lunar probe to successfully land on the far side of the moon, as it is scheduled to be launched prior to 2020, according to Zou Yongliao of the moon exploration department under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"China will be the first to complete the task if it is successful," said Zou.
Earlier this year, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense also announced that the probe's launch will be before 2020.
The project is expected to be a monumental one since the "dark side of the moon" is never visible to observers from Earth due to the effect of gravitational forces.
Zou stated that this area of the moon has a clean electromagnetic environment which is ideal for low frequency radio study.
"If we can place a frequency spectrograph on the far side of the moon, we can fill a void," he said.
This will not be the first time China ventures into space. In 2013, Chang'e-3 landed on lunar soil, making China the first country to successfully launch and land a spacecraft on the moon since the space race between the former Soviet Union and the United States.
However, unlike its previous version, the new Chinese probe can handle more payload and will be utilized to survey and gather essential data regarding the geological conditions of the moon's non-visible side.
Furthermore, China plans on launching the Chang'e-5 lunar probe sometime in 2017 as the third phase and final phase in China's initial moon exploration program.
