China’s space program has become the first to land a spacecraft on the so-called dark side of the moon. The landing on Thursday brought the country closer to its goal of becoming a space power. The China National Space Administration said the landing of the Chang’e 4 spacecraft at 10:26 in the morning Beijing Time has “opened up a new chapter in human lunar exploration.” Chang’e 4 sent a picture taken at 11:40 in the morning back to Earth. It shows a small crater and an empty surface that appears to be lit by a light from the lunar explorer. The name Chang’e comes from a Chinese goddess that many Chinese believe has lived on the moon for thousands of years. The landing is an example of China’s growing desire to compete with the American, Russian and European space programs. China also wants to strengthen its position as a regional and international power.