You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
China has begun a new round of lunar exploration and will send the "Chang'e-4" probe to the far side of the moon in 2018.
The far side of the moon is never visible to Earth because of gravitational forces and has never been explored by humans. "Chang'e-4" will be the first mission in human history to embark on this expedition.
Officials say China already boasts mature science and technology for sending a probe to the far side of the moon, and is open to cooperation with international society.
China achieved its first soft-landing on the moon in December 2013, and the moon rover is still sending messages back to Earth.
The new rover "Chang'e-4" is very similar to its predecessor in structure but can handle more payloads. It will be used to study the geological conditions of the dark side of the moon.
China sent a letter of intent of cooperation to foreign countries early last year.
The country also plans to launch its next generation lunar probe, the Chang'e-5, to finish the last chapter in China's three-step moon exploration program, namely, orbiting and landing on the moon, as well as return to earth from it.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
China's new unmanned submarine "Qianlong No. 2" has completed its maiden dive in the southwest Indian Ocean.
The underwater robot was independently designed by Chinese scientists and can dive to a depth of 4,500 meters below the ocean surface.
During the test dive, the submarine entered a mineral-rich area of the Indian Ocean and remained underwater for around nine hours. It has explored the area's landforms and hydrothermal sulfides, and conducted magnetism studies.
The dive is part of a final test for the vessel to be put into practical use.
The submarine was transported by its support ship, the "Xiang-yang-hong 10", a scientific expedition vessel. The support ship is on its maiden voyage in deep-sea areas, and is expected to remain in the ocean until early June.
