China plans to land the first probe on the dark side of the moon in 2018, marking another milestone in its ambitious space program, Xinhua News Agency reported.

China has launched a new round of work focused on lunar exploration, coming about two years after it made the first "soft landing" on the moon since 1976 with the Chang'e-3 craft and its Jade Rabbit rover.

Previous spacecraft have seen the far side of the moon, which is never visible from earth, but none has landed on it.