The Xinhua news agency has reported that China is looking forward to increase and fasten its space exploration efforts by landing the first lunar probe on the moon’s far side, which is the hemisphere, facing away from Earth, in 2018.

Liu Jizhong, chief to the country's State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense's lunar exploration center, said that the far side of the moon has never been explored, which has made their plans for the Chang'e-4 probe quite the milestone. Previously, the county has aimed of a probe landing there by the year 2020.

Xinhua has reported that the country is ‘open to cooperation’ with ‘international society’ in this mission. China marked its first soft-landing on the moon in December 2013, with the unmanned Chang'e-3 probe. The probe is still operating and beaming data back to Earth. The planned Chang'e-4 probe could handle more payloads. It will be sent out for studying the geology of the dark hemisphere of the moon.

Liu added that post this mission, China is planning to launch the Chang'e-5 lunar probe, which is presently in development.

Currently, the country is focusing on opening its space exploration to projects that are beyond the ones solely supported by the government. Reuters reported that in March, China said that it would open up its lunar exploration programs to external companies. Xinhua reported that the government sent out a ‘letter of intent of cooperation’ regarding its new mission to other nations in early last year.

The Soviet Luna 3 mission was first one to photograph the far side of the moon in 1959. In 1968, NASA's Apollo 8 astronauts were the first people to witness it with their own eyes. The crew also clicked the iconic ‘Earthrise’ picture.