Photo taken on Dec. 14, 2013 shows the lunar probe Chang'e-3 on the screen of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China. [Photo: Xinhua]

Chinese space authorities have announced plans to launch a data relay satellite to help with their plans to explore the dark side of moon.

The satellite will allow communication between Earth and a lunar probe during a forthcoming expedition to the far side of the moon.

Chang'e-4 is going to be sent to the relatively uncharted back side of the moon sometime in 2018.

The data relay satellite will be launched around 6-months before the probe.

Due to gravitational forces, the dark side of the moon is not visible to Earth.

As such, little is known about it.