China hopes to land robotic roveron moon's surface A space module carrying China's first lunar rover is scheduled to land on the moon Saturday, authorities said Friday, describing the manoeuvre as the mission's greatest challenge. The spacecraft is scheduled to make touchdown 12 days after the Chang'e-3 mission blasted off on a Long March 3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the country's southwest. "On the evening of December 14, Chang'e-3 will carry out a soft landing on the lunar surface," said a post on the mission's official blog on Sina Weibo. Sina Weibo is a Chinese version of Twitter. The task was described as the mission's "most difficult" in the post, which was written by the Chinese Academy of Sciences on behalf of the country's space authorities. The Chang'e-3 mission is named after the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology. The rover vehicle is called Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, after her pet. The landing is expected to mark the latest step in an ambitious space program. The program is seen as a symbol of China's rising global stature and technological advancement. China is aiming to become the third country to carry out a rover mission. It would follow the United States and former Soviet Union decades ago. The BBC reported that this is the third robotic rover mission to land on the lunar surface. However, the Chinese vehicle carries a more sophisticated payload. The payload will include ground-penetrating radar. The radar will gather measurements of the lunar soil and crust. The 120-kilogram (265-pound) Jade Rabbit rover can reportedly climb slopes of up to 30 degrees. It can also travel at 200 metres (656 feet) per hour. Several hours after the landing, the robotic rover will be deployed.