Chang'e 3 & Yutu

Chang'e 3 lunar mission launched from Xichang, carrying a lander and the Yutu rover; it achieved China's first soft landing on the Moon on December 14, 2013, the first lunar landing by any nation since 1976.

Outcome

Success

Orbit

LO

Lunar orbit

Payload to orbit

3.9 T

Flight

13th

of 24 Long March 3B flights

Date and time

1 December 2013, 17:30 UTC

Rocket

Long March 3B

Builder

CASC

Launch site

Launch Complex 2 (LC-2), Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Payload

Robotic Exploration

International designator

2013-070

Launches in 2013

72nd of 81

See it in orbit

Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.

View satellites in Space Atlas↗