China is growing cotton ... on the dark side of the moon!

Cotton seeds taken to the moon by China's Chang'e 4 mission have started to sprout. 

The BBC reported that after being the first to launch a mission to land and explore on the far side of the moon, China also debuted the first biological matter to grow on the moon. 

Chang'e 4's mission to the moon landed on January 3. It aims to accomplish a variety of tasks, including the first lunar low-frequency radio astronomy experiment and exploring whether there is water on the moon's poles, reported CNN. 

China's People's Daily shared an image on Twitter of the sprouting cotton from the far side of the moon.

According to CNBC, Professor Lui Hanlong of Chongqing University, who is in charge of the research, said rape and potato seeds had also germinated on the moon but the cotton seeds were the first to sprout.