Chang'e 3 Lands on the Moon

In December 2013, China's Chang'e 3 spacecraft touched down on the Moon, making China the third nation, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface. It was the first controlled lunar landing by any country since the Soviet Luna 24 mission in 1976, and it showed that China's space program could handle the demanding task of descending autonomously to another world.

The mission was the second phase of China's lunar exploration program, named after Chang'e, the Moon goddess of Chinese mythology. The program was organized around three stages often summarized as "orbit, land, return." Chang'e 1 (2007) and Chang'e 2 (2010) were orbiters that mapped the Moon and tested key technologies. China had also crewed spaceflights from 2003 onward, but a robotic landing required different skills, especially precise navigation and engine control during descent, since there is no atmosphere to slow a craft with parachutes.

Chang'e 3 launched atop a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center and entered lunar orbit after several days of travel. It then lowered its orbit and descended to a region of the Mare Imbrium, near a feature known as Sinus Iridum, or the Bay of Rainbows. The lander used a variable-thrust engine and onboard sensors to slow itself and select a safe spot, a process carried out largely without direct human control because of the communication delay and the short time available. Soon after landing, it deployed a small six-wheeled rover named Yutu, or "Jade Rabbit."

Yutu carried instruments including ground-penetrating radar to probe the structure beneath the surface, along with spectrometers to study the composition of lunar soil and rock. The lander also carried an ultraviolet telescope for observing the sky from the Moon. Yutu ran into trouble as the first lunar night approached, when a mechanical problem affected its ability to fold up and protect itself against the cold. It lost some mobility, though it continued to operate in a limited way for a time. The lander itself kept working far longer than its planned lifespan.

Chang'e 3 proved the landing and roving technologies that later missions built on. Chang'e 4 landed on the Moon's far side in 2019, a world first, and Chang'e 5 returned lunar samples to Earth in 2020, completing the "return" stage. The scientific data from Chang'e 3, including radar findings about the layered volcanic history beneath its landing site, added to understanding of the Moon's geology. Politically, the mission signaled China's emergence as a major spacefaring power and helped set the stage for its later ambitions, including plans for crewed lunar missions.