The Long March II-F rocket loaded with Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft flies over the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province. PHOTO: REUTERS
A rocket carrying the vehicle, named "Jade Rabbit" in a nod to Chinese folklore, will blast off at 1:30 am local time.
"The Chang'e 3 is set to be launched for its moon mission from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Dec 2," state broadcaster CCTV said on its verified Twitter account on Saturday.
Official news agency Xinhua also confirmed the launch date, citing officials at the satellite launch centre.
If successful, the launch will mark a major milestone in China's space exploration programme, which aims to create a permanent space station by 2020 and eventually send someone to the moon.
But its technology currently lags behind the expertise of the United States and Russia.
Beijing sees its military-run space programme as a marker of its rising global stature and growing technological might, as well as the ruling Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.
China has previously sent two probes to orbit the moon, with controllers sending the first of them crashing into the lunar surface at the end of its mission.
Early in November, Beijing offered a rare glimpse into its secretive space programme when it put a model of its six-wheeled moon rover on public display.
The rover was later named 'Yutu', or jade rabbit, following an online poll in which more than three million people voted.
The name derives from an ancient Chinese myth about a white rabbit that lives on the moon as the pet of Chang'e, a lunar goddess who swallowed an immortality pill.
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.
The rover's designer, Shanghai Aerospace Systems Engineering Research Institute, claims several technological breakthroughs with the vehicle.
The Shanghai-based institute, a unit of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, which is linked to the military, says the advances include its "autonomous" navigation system and the way the wheels are able to grip the powdery surface of the moon.
It can climb inclines of up to 30 degrees and travel up to 200 metres per hour, according to the institute.
COMMENTS (3)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1714129906-0/Clint-Eastwood-(1)1714129906-0-270x192.webp)
@Manju They're giving coverage to BOTH Chinese and Indian space missions. Stop being so uppity.
Yeah! Meanwhile we Indians have successfully blasted of to the Mars... Only a Pakistani newspaper would find it less important to publish than a Chinese upcoming mission which might or might not be successful... Nice way of keeping up your spirits and also of your master's...