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Chang'e 3 is a lunar exploration mission operated by the China National Space Administration, incorporating a robotic lander and a rover. Chang'e 3 was launched in December 2013 as part of the second phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program.
It is China's first lunar rover.
The spacecraft is named after Chang'e, the goddess of the Moon in Chinese mythology, and is a follow-up to the Chang'e 1 and Chang'e 2 lunar orbiters.
The lunar rover is called Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, a name selected in an online poll that comes from a Chinese myth about a white rabbit that lives on the Moon as a pet of the moon goddess Chang'e.
It achieved lunar orbit on 6 December 2013, and landed on 14 December at 13:11 UTC, becoming the first object to soft-land on the moon since Luna 24 in 1976.
