Yutu’s discovery of olivine helps pave the way for scientists to confirm existence of a mantle beneath satellite’s crust.

Despite the global ambition of China and its tech giants, some of their most important companies and projects are still named in Chinese and spelled in pinyin.

The Chinese lunar rover likely became crippled after hitting a rock while it navigated difficult terrain, according to a senior mainland scientist involved in the investigation into the breakdown.

Engineers are desperately trying to revive China's crippled lunar rover Jade Rabbit as fears grow that its mission could be over.

US talk shows have seized upon the stories released by Xinhua that update the public on the malfunctioning lunar rover. The "dispatches" are written in the first person, and are intended to appear as if the Jade Rabbit writes them.

Failure is not a word Beijing takes lightly. Driven by a desire to become a superpower and with the world watching its every move, success in all endeavours is expected. The breakdown of the nation's first moon rover, Jade Rabbit, just halfway through its three-month mission, therefore risks being perceived negatively. If scientists are unable to make repairs, it could well be written off as a blot on the space programme.

Scientists may not be able to repair China's lunar rover, Jade Rabbit, that has broken down on the surface of the moon, a report on state media suggested. The report from Xinhua, written as if it sent by the rover itself, said the problems could prove insoluble.

China's first lunar rover, the Jade Rabbit, appears to have broken down halfway through its three-month mission to the moon. Jade Rabbit experienced a "mechanical control abnormality" and scientists were examining the best ways to carry out repairs, Xinhua reported.

"Be ambitious. Follow your dreams." This is the advice given to young people by Polytechnic University professor Yung Kai-leung, who has become a bit of a star himself after China's latest moon exploration mission adopted a gadget he developed.

Chang'e, with its rover Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, has become the moon's first visitor in 37 years, following Luna 24, which graced its surface in 1976. In landing the craft, China has joined the ranks of countries that successfully landed on earth's natural satellite, following the United States and Soviet Union. Here, we marvel at the space voyages that have taken us one step closer to deciphering the distant mystery that has intrigued mankind for millennia.

China's moon rover will survey for minerals on a dusty, barren crater named the Bay of Rainbows, but experts say there may be no pot of gold on the earth's natural satellite.

An earth-observation satellite developed jointly by China and Brazil failed to reach orbit yesterday after its rocket malfunctioned on ascent, dealing a setback to China's ambitious space programme.

The Chang’e-3 rocket carrying the Jade Rabbit rover blasted off around 1:30 am, the CCTV official broadcaster showed in live footage from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the country’s southwest.

The launch of China's most ambitious lunar probe, scheduled for sometime in December, will likely be a proud moment for many in the nation. But for some scientists, at least one of whom was directly involved in the project, the event will be frustrating. 

China's lunar rover Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, has rolled on to the surface of the moon and started beaming its first photographs back to earth last night.

Wu Zhijun, a spokesman for the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, told a press conference in Beijing on Monday that the Chang’e-5 mission would be launched in four years’ time.