The probe taking off (via Twitter@MotherJones).

China’s Chang’e 3 lander is unmanned, but has a rover named Yutu that has mechanical legs (which can dig up to 30 meters) and multiple cameras. The rover is to stay on the moon for three months and study the troposphere, stratosphere and ionosphere through an ultraviolet camera. 

Last year, the government sent 18 craft launches into space. The country hopes to build a permanent base on the moon within the next few years, in addition to landing a person as well. 

The names are derived from an ancient Chinese myth about a goddess and her pet who live on the moon. 

There has not been a successful landing on the moon like so since the Soviet Union in 1976. 

Reach Executive Producer Jillian Morabito here.