Yutu (rover)

The Yutu or Jade Rabbit is a Chinese six wheeled rover vehicle built to travel on the Moon. It landed on the Moon in December 2013, and made its first trip on 14 December 2013. It weighs 120 kg and can travel at a speed of 200 metres per hour. It stopped moving after 42 days and stopped communicating after two years.

The Chinese landing on the Moon was the first soft landing since 1976. It is part of China's Chang'e-3 space program which uses the Long March 3B rocket. The Jade Rabbit carries a range of scientific equipment including a radar system which will be able to examine the ground beneath the surface.

The vehicle's name was picked on an online poll in China. The Jade Rabbit comes from an old Chinese mythology story about the lunar goddess Chang'e, who had a pet rabbit.

References

Category:Moon
Category:China
Category:Spacecrafts launched in 2010s
Category:Planetary rovers