article: On Saturday afternoon (GMT), a landing module used thrusters to touch down, marking the latest step in China's ambitious space exploration programme. Several hours later, the lander will deploy a robotic rover called Yutu, which translates as "Jade Rabbit". The touchdown took place on a flat plain called Sinus Iridum. The Chang'e-3 mission launched atop a Chinese-developed Long March 3B rocket on 1 December from Xichang in the country's south. The official Xinhua news service reported that the craft began its descent just after 1300 GMT (2100 Beijing time), touching down in Sinus Iridum (the Bay of Rainbows) 11 minutes later. State television showed pictures of the moon's surface as the lander touched down and an eye-level view of the landing site was released later on Saturday. Staff at mission control in Beijing clapped and celebrated after confirmation came through. The probe's soft-landing was the most difficult task during the mission, Wu Weiren, the lunar programme's chief designer, told Xinhua. By Damian GrammaticasChina correspondent It is the third robotic rover mission to land on the lunar surface, but the Chinese vehicle carries a more sophisticated payload than previous missions, including ground-penetrating radar which will gather measurements of the lunar soil and crust. "It's still a significant technological challenge to land on another world," said Peter Bond, consultant editor for Jane's Space Systems and Industry told the AP news agency. "You have to use rocket motors for the descent and you have to make sure you go down at the right angle and the right rate of descent and you don't end up in a crater or on top of a large rock." The landing module actively reduced its speed at about 15km from the Moon's surface. When it reached a distance of 100m from the surface, the craft fired thrusters to slow its descent. At a distance of 4m, the lander switched off the thrusters and fell to the lunar surface. The Jade Rabbit was expected to be deployed several hours after touchdown, driving down a ramp lowered by the landing module. Reports suggest the lander and rover will photograph each other at some point on Sunday. According to Chinese space scientists, the mission is designed to test new technologies, gather scientific data and build intellectual expertise, as well as scouting for mineral resources that could eventually be mined. "China's lunar program is an important component of mankind's activities to explore [the] peaceful use of space," said Sun Huixian, a space engineer with the Chinese lunar programme. The 120kg (260lb) Jade Rabbit rover can reportedly climb slopes of up to 30 degrees and travel at 200m (660ft) per hour. By David ShukmanScience editor, BBC News Why China is fixated on the Moon Moon rover mission lifts off Its name - chosen in an online poll of 3.4 million voters - derives from an ancient Chinese myth about a rabbit living on the moon as the pet of the lunar goddess Chang'e. The rover and lander are powered by solar panels but some sources suggest they also carry radioisotope heating units (RHUs), containing
summary: China says it has successfully landed a craft carrying a robotic rover on the surface of the Moon, the first soft landing there for 37 years.