The 21 Most Marvelous Moon Missions of All Time

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By Clara Moskowitz
last updated

Chang'e 3 and Yutu Rover

CNTV

Launched in December 2013, China's Chang'e 3 moon landing mission marked the country's first-ever landing on another celestial body. It landed on Dec. 14 carrying the Yutu rover - another China first - and is the first soft-landing on the moon in 37 years, following the former Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976. [China Lands On Moon: Read the Full Story Here]

The six-wheeled Yutu rover is a solar-powered vehicle equipped with cameras, a robotic arm tipped with science gear and a radar system attached to its underbelly.

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Clara Moskowitz
Clara Moskowitz
Assistant Managing Editor

Clara Moskowitz is a science and space writer who joined the Space.com team in 2008 and served as Assistant Managing Editor from 2011 to 2013. Clara has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She covers everything from astronomy to human spaceflight and once aced a NASTAR suborbital spaceflight training program for space missions. Clara is currently Associate Editor of Scientific American. To see her latest project is, follow Clara on Twitter.