China has begun working on a space mission to go where no man has travelled before - to the dark side of the moon.

The first ascent of its kind is planned to go ahead in 2018, in the spaceship Chang'E 4 - named after the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology - which is yet to be built, reports the People's Daily Online.

The moon's far hemisphere - which is always in total darkness - is never directly visible from earth and has never been explored. 
China hopes to be the first country to get a new awareness of the early evolution of the moon, by exploring the back side of its crust. 

Liu Zizhing, the deputy commander of the lunar exploration revealed yesterday that the probe is expected to achieve the first visit to the back of the moon in two years time, mainly carrying out patrolling surveys to detect whether satellites can be placed on the surface.

He said: 'The implementation of the Chang'e-4 mission has helped our country make the leap from following to leading in the field of lunar exploration.'