China to launch moon rover mission to scout out locations for a lunar base that will one day be used for a mission to Mars

Country will tomorrow launch the first unmanned lunar probe since 1976

The device will blast off at 5.30pm tomorrow, which is 1.30am local time

It has been nicknamed Jade Rabbit in honour of Chinese folklore character

The probe can roam the lunar surface for up to 90 days

China says it wants to create a permanent lunar base within 15 years

Ambition is part of plan to move ahead of the US and become leading space explorer in the world



China will tomorrow become the first country in almost 40 years to soft-land a probe on the moon, in a huge step forward for its ambitious space programme.

The nation will become the third in history to launch a lunar probe when the device, named 'Jade Rabbit' after a Chinese folklore character, launches at 5.30pm on Sunday evening, which is 1.30am local time.



The mission forms part of a plan in which China hopes to build a permanent lunar base in order to launch future missions to Mars within the next 15 years.



History: China will become just the third country in history to soft land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon when 'Jade Rabbit' launches next month.The gold-coloured model has six wheels and wing-like solar panels

Chinese scientists test the moon rover ahead of its launch. The six-wheeled Yutu vehicle began operating last month after making the first soft landing on the moon by a space probe in 37 years

The probe, which can climb inclines of up to 30 degrees and travel up to 200 metres per hour, is targeted to land within a huge volcanic crater known as Sinus Iridum, which means the Bay of Rainbows, on about December 14.



'Apart from launching astronauts into space, this is probably the most complex space mission attempted by China,' Australian space analyst Morris Jones told AFP.

Yutu is designed to roam the lunar surface for at least 90 Earth days – three Lunar days – covering an area of about five square kilometres.

It will send probes beneath the surface as well as taking high-resolution images of the rock, a flat area formed from the molten basalt released by lunar volcanoes several billion years ago.



The journey of the Chang’e-3 probe and its final landing will be closely monitored by the European Space Agency (ESA), which is cooperating closely with China. ESA’s own launch station in Kourou, French Guiana, will immediately start receiving signals from the mission after take-off and it will upload commands to the probe on behalf of the Chinese control centre.



'Whether for human or robotic missions, international cooperation like this is necessary for the future exploration of planets, moons and asteroids, benefitting everyone,' said Thomas Reiter, director of ESA’s human spaceflight operations.

Form: The first time China launched an unmanned spacecraft was in 1999, pictured. It is the only the third country to have done so, after Russia and the US

Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin, right, walking on the moon, left, in 1969



In recent years, China has made considerable progress in its space programme.

In June, three Chinese astronauts spent 15 days in orbit and docked their craft with an experimental space laboratory.

In 2007, the country despatched an unmanned spacecraft called Chang'e to orbit the Moon.

The craft stayed in space for 16 months before being intentionally crashed on to the Moon's surface.

The name Jade Rabbit was chosen after an online poll in which millions took part.

Ouyang Ziyuan, head of the moon rover project, told Xinhua earlier this week that the ancient beliefs had their origins in the marks left by impacts on the lunar landscape.

'There are several black spots on the moon's surface. Our ancient people imagined they were a moon palace, osmanthus trees, and a jade rabbit,' he said.



China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003, becoming the third country after Russia and the United States to achieve manned space travel independently.

The military-backed space programme is a source of national pride.