Chang’e-4 itself launched on 8 December 2018. It entered lunar orbit four days later, where mission controllers spent 22 days testing the spacecraft’s systems, waiting for the Sun to rise at the landing site. Today, Chang’e-4 successfully de-orbited and landed. One of its first tasks will be to deploy a rover similar to Yutu, which accompanied Chang’e-3 to the Moon in 2013.

China formally announced the mission in December 2015 as part of its ambitious Chang’e lunar program that started in 2007 and will culminate with a sample return mission in 2019.

The Queqiao relay satellite also brought along two SmallSats named Longjiang-1 and 2 bound for lunar orbit. Only Longjiang-2 was successful, and has sent home some phenomenal pictures, including a new Earthrise image.