China’s space agency has recently launched the lunar rover. What is the name of that?
Answers
China has launched a rover on December 8, 2018, that will land on the far side of the moon, a global first that would boost Beijing's ambitions to become a space superpower.
The Chang'e-4 lunar probe mission -- named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology -- launched on a Long March 3B rocket from the southwestern Xichang launch centre in the pre-dawn hours, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
About the Chang'e-4 mission
The successful launch marked the start of a long journey to the far side of the moon for the Chang'e-4 mission, which is expected to land around the New Year to carry out experiments and explore the untrodden terrain.
Unlike the near side of the moon that is "tidally locked" and always faces the earth, and offers many flat areas to touch down on, the far side is mountainous and rugged.
It was not until 1959 that the Soviet Union captured the first images of the heavily cratered surface, uncloaking some of the mystery of the moon's "dark side".
No lander or rover has ever touched the surface there, positioning China as the first nation to explore the terrain.
This is one of the first times they've done something that no one else has done before.
It is no easy technological feat -- China has been preparing for this moment for years.
A major challenge for such a mission is communicating with the robotic lander: as the far side of the moon always points away from earth, there is no direct "line of sight" for signals.
Answer:
Zhurong is the name of that rover