China will launch its first ever moon rover mission next week as it continues to build toward its ambitions of putting one of its citizens on the moon.
State media has announced that a rocket carrying the vehicle, named Jade Rabbit in a nod to Chinese folklore, will blast off at 01.30am local time on Monday (0430 AEDT).
"The Chang'e 3 is set to be launched for its moon mission from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre on Dec. 2," state broadcaster CCTV said on its verified Twitter account on Saturday.
If successful, the launch will mark a major milestone in China's space exploration program, which ambitiously aims to create a permanent space station by 2020 and eventually send someone to the moon.
But its technology currently lags behind the expertise of the United States and Russia.
China has previously sent two probes to orbit the moon, with controllers sending the first of them crashing into the lunar surface at the end of its mission.
Early in November, Beijing offered a rare glimpse into its secretive space program when it put a model of its six-wheeled moon rover on public display.
The rover was later named Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, following an online poll.
The name derives from an ancient Chinese myth about a white rabbit that lives on the moon as the pet of Chang'e, a lunar goddess who swallowed an immortality pill.
Share
