@Duchess64
I think the Soviets landed some kind of probe on Mars in 71, not sure if it was a rover or just fixed in place but I think that is all they were technically capable of doing.
So China is certainly ahead of Russia in that regard, having already landed a complex mission on the back side of the moon.
BTW, there are plans afoot for NASA to build a one kilometer radio telescope on the backside of the moon, where they would be looking at much lower frequencies than Earthbound scopes.
The problem with low frequency signals from space coming in, gets 99% blocked by the ionosphere made worse when the solar cycle, now called solar cycle 25, just the start of the 5 year long upswing in sunspot activity.
Anyway, being on the backside of the moon with such a large dish, twice the size of the Chinese dish just completed but the key there is that 3000 odd kilometer of moon blocking all the radio crap from Earth and out in space away from the ionosphere which opens a new set of RF frequencies now not able to read.
I hope they make it. They are designing automatic construction machines that do the work, and a much simpler mechanical arrangement than either the failed US scope or the Chinese one which has to endure hostile environment, high winds, rain, snow and such, no such problem on the back side of the moon.
Anyway, it is an exciting project.