13 January 2019
In 2013, China launched Chang'e 3, the country's first spacecraft to soft-land on the moon. The scientific instruments on its lander are still operating after more than 60 lunar nights in the past five years. "It was a success, but Chang'e 3 was designed according to foreign temperature data," said Zhang He, Executive Director of the Chang'e 4 probe project, from the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). "Chang'e 4 will measure the temperature differences between the day and night on the moon, helping scientists estimate the properties of the lunar soil," she said.
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