China becomes third country to land on moon.

China becomes third country to land on moon. (RT).

China’s official Xinhua news agency reported that the spacecraft touched down in the Sinus Iridum, known as the Bay of Rainbows, at 9:11 p.m. after hovering over the moon’s surface for an unspecified few minutes, scouting out a suitable place to land. The subsequent soft-landing did not damage the craft, unlike a previous mission in 2007 when China sent a lunar probe to conduct a controlled crash into the moon’s surface.

A telescope is on board the landing craft, known as the Chang'e-3 probe, which will likely stay in place and operate for a year. The telescope is designed to survey space from the moon’s surface. The landing craft also houses an ultraviolet camera which will study the Earth and its plasmasphere.


A solar-powered rover, known as Yutu, is also on board. It will traverse the area for three months, analyzing topsoil and collecting information on the moon at a depth of 100 yards.

The Bay of Rainbows has yet to be studied, but Xinhua stated that it was chosen because of its ample sunlight and convenience for long-distance communications.

The Chang'e-3 probe was launched on December 2. It carried the solar-powered Yutu, which will dig and survey both the moon’s geological structure and surface substances, as well as look for natural resources.
China Central Television (CCTV) broadcast images from the probe on Saturday and announced that the lunar probe and the rover will snap photographs of one another on Sunday.

This is the first time that China has sent a spacecraft to the surface of an extraterrestrial body, and the first time one has landed on such a surface since 1976.

China sees its space program as a symbol of national pride, rising global influence, and growing technical expertise.

Beijing began its manned space program in 1992. In 2003, China successfully sent Yang Liwei, the country's first taikonaut, into orbit aboard the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft. Read the full story here.