The first lunar landing since 1976 happened this morning, as China joins Russia and USA as lunar visitors.
It’s not quite in the same league as Neil Armstrong and the first walk on the surface of the Moon but today is a great day for China as they successfully landed an unmanned craft on the surface of the Moon.
The craft, called Chang’e-3, left Earth on December 2 and it landed this morning in a place known as the Bay of Rainbows.
The last craft to land on the surface was a Russian rover in 1976 called Luna 24. America last visited the Moon in 1972.
The Chinese are hoping to find precious metals and minerals on their visit but the size of the lander has led some to speculate it is a test for a future manned flight to the surface.
#ChangE3 has landed on the moon! Congratulations to China space agency pic.twitter.com/5sjXJAXPol
— ESA (@esa) December 14, 2013
China sent its first astronaut into space a decade ago and they hope to eventually have a space station in orbit too.
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