{"id":16391,"date":"2013-11-30T17:12:46","date_gmt":"2013-11-30T17:12:46","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2013-11-30T17:12:11","modified_gmt":"2013-11-30T17:12:11","slug":"China-launches--Jade-Rabbit--and-it-s-not-what-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=16391","title":{"rendered":"China launches “Jade Rabbit” and it’s not what you think"},"content":{"rendered":"

China will launch its first ever moon rover mission on Monday, state media said, as Beijing embarks on the latest stage in its ambitious space program.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A rocket carrying the vehicle, named “Jade Rabbit” in a nod to Chinese folklore, will blast off at 1:30 am local time (Sunday 1730 GMT).<\/p>\n

“The Chang’e 3 is set to be launched for its moon mission from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Dec. 2,” state broadcaster CCTV said on its verified Twitter account on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Official news agency Xinhua also confirmed the launch date, citing officials at the satellite launch center in Sichuan province.<\/p>\n

If successful, the launch will mark a major milestone in China’s space exploration program, which aims to create a permanent space station by 2020 and eventually send someone to the moon.<\/p>\n

Beijing sees its military-run space program as a marker of its rising global stature and growing technological might<\/strong>, as well as the ruling Communist Party’s success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n