China has announced that it will land the first ever probe on the dark side of the moon in 2018.
Other spacecraft have observed the far side of the moon - which is not visible from Earth - but so far none has landed on it.
The probe will study the geological conditions on the moon, and could lead to the placement of a telescope there.
Radio transmissions from Earth cannot reach the moon's far side, which makes it a good spot for sensitive instruments.
Its ambitious space programme is focused on lunar exploration, and two years ago it made the first "soft landing" on the moon since 1976.
President Xi Jinping has called for China to establish itself as a space power, and the country insists it's for peaceful purposes.
However the US Defense Department says China is pursuing activities which could prevent its adversaries from using space-based assets during a crisis.
Back in 2007 China destroyed its own defunct satellite, scattering debris that continues to orbit the planet.
And in May 2013 an object was launched into space which the Pentagon said could have been an anti-satellite system.
In March, the Chinese government said it would open up its lunar exploration program to private companies rather than simply relying on the state-owned sector.
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