China’s Jade Rabbit robot rover rolled on to the Moon’s surface as it drove off its landing module on Saturday.
The rover rolled down the ramp lowered by the lander and landed on to the volcanic plain Sinus Iridum.
The landing module with the rover fired its thrusters to perform a soft landing on the Moon, first landing since the year 1976.
Saturday’s successful mission is the latest stage in an ambitious space program that aims to eventually put a Chinese astronaut on the moon.
The lander will be operating on the moon, while the rover is expected to work for about 3 months.
State-run TV channel broadcasted a computer-generated image of the Chang’e 3 lander’s path as it approached the surface of the moon.
