Geological Chronicle
Daedalus lies near the center of the Moon’s far side, close to the antipode from Earth. Its registry diameter is 93.61 km. It is named after the father of Icarus in Greek mythology. Icarus lies to the east, with Racah to the south.
Daedalus dates to the Early Imbrian epoch and has not been significantly degraded by subsequent impacts. Its inner wall is terraced, and a cluster of central peaks sits on the relatively flat floor. An infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase has been identified on the central peaks.
Because the site is shielded from radio emissions from Earth, Daedalus has been proposed as the site of a future giant radio telescope. The telescope would be scooped out of the crater, much like the Arecibo radio telescope but on a vastly larger scale. Photographs taken by Apollo 11 astronauts show Daedalus. Contemporary sources called it Crater 308, a temporary IAU designation that preceded the establishment of far-side lunar nomenclature. The International Astronomical Union formally adopted its modern designation in 1970.