Chinese Robot “Yutu” lands on the Moon

On Saturday, December 14th, the Chinese unmanned space rover Yutu landed on the surface of the moon, according to the Chinese state news agency. China became the third country, following the United States and Soviet Union, to have a “soft-landing” on the moon (meaning the equipment remains intact upon landing). The six-wheeled Yutu, also known as Jade Rabbit, also marks the first lunar soft-landing by any nation since 1976.
The landing marks the latest in China’s developing space program, which despite lagging behind the United States and Russia has made remarkable strides in recent years. In 2003, China sent its first astronaut into space, becoming the third country to independently launch manned space travel. The Chinese space agency has recently launched several lunar probes and plans to open a space station around 2020 and send an astronaut to the moon after that.