Von Kármán Crater (South Pole-Aitken Basin, Far Side)
Landing site of Chang'e 4, January 3, 2019. First soft landing on the lunar far side. Yutu-2 continues to operate.
What Happened Here?
Landing site of Chang'e 4, January 3, 2019. First soft landing on the lunar far side. Yutu-2 continues to operate.
Region Overview
Largest and deepest impact basin in the solar system, on the lunar far side. Contains Von Kármán crater (Chang'e 4) and Apollo crater (Chang'e 6).
Geological Feature: Von Karman Crater
Large crater on the far side within the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Landing site of Chang'e 4 and Yutu-2 rover (2019, ongoing).
Missions Associated with this Site
- Chang'e 4 (2019) · China LANDED Confirmed landing. First-ever soft landing on the far side of the Moon
Historical Timeline
- 2018-12-07 — Launch from Xichang Satellite Launch Center (Chang'e 4)
- 2019-01-03 — Lands in Von Kármán crater — first far-side lunar landing in history (Chang'e 4)
- 2019-01-03 — Yutu-2 rover deployed; begins far-side traverses (Chang'e 4)
- 2019-01-11 — Queqiao relay satellite enables first far-side communications (Chang'e 4)
- 2024-01 — Yutu-2 surpasses Lunokhod 2 — longest-travelling lunar rover (>1,600 m) (Chang'e 4)
Site Imagery & Gallery
Scientific References & Sources
Explore Von Kármán Crater (South Pole-Aitken Basin, Far Side) in 3D
Interactive 3D Moon atlas with terrain model, spacecraft markers, and historical site stories.