China has launched its mission to moon.The Chang'e 3 mission launched off in Xichang in the South at 17:30 GMT on Sunday. The project consists of a landing module and a six-wheeled rover called Yutu (code-named as 'Jade Rabbit'). It is expected to land on the northern hemisphere of the moon in mid-December this year. This will become the third robotic rover mission to land on the moon. But this is a bit more advanced as it contains a more sophisticated payload including ground penetrating radar which will gather measurement of the lunar soil and crust. Its name was chosen from an online poll of around 3 million voters- is derived from an old Chinese myth about a rabbit living on the moon as the pet of the lunar goddess Chang'e. The lander is targeted to land in a place on moon called as Sinus Iridum which is derived from the Latin for 'Bay of Rainbows' a flat volcanic plain thought to be relatively clear of large rocks. The rover and lander are solar-powered but some sources suggest that they also carry Radioisotope Heating Units (RHUs) containing plutonium-238 to keep them warm in the cold lunar nights.
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