Chinese to send ‘jade rabbit’ to moon

BEIJING: China will launch its first ever moon rover early next month, state media said Tuesday, with the vehicle named “Jade Rabbit” in a nod to Chinese folklore.
The name derives from an ancient Chinese myth about a white rabbit which lives on the moon as the pet of Chang’e, a lunar goddess who swallowed an immortality pill.
The rocket carrying the probe will be launched in early December, China’s official Xinhua news agency said, citing the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.
It did not give a specific date. 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.
“China has named its first moon rover ‘Yutu’, or jade rabbit, following an online poll,” Xinhua added.