CHANG'E-3 LUNAR PROBE

The moon will soon welcomes in a "rabbit"...

China will launch its Chang'e-3 lunar probe early Monday, which carries

the country's first lunar rover "Yutu", or "Jade Rabbit" in English.

The probe will make a soft landing on the moon surface.

STANDUP: Yu Yue, CNC Correspondent:

"I am at Xichang Satellite Launch Center. From here, the Chang'e-3 lunar probe will be launched into orbit aboard an enhanced Long March-3B rocket carrier. Right now, facilities at the launching site are in good condition and preparations are going well."

If successful, this will be the first time for China to send a spacecraft to soft land on the surface of an extraterrestrial body.

According to the headquarters, facilities at the launching site are in good conditions and preparations for the launch are going well.

Chang'e-3 comprises a lander and a moon rover called "Yutu" (Jade Rabbit).

The lunar probe will land on the moon in mid-December if everything goes according to plan, and conduct surveys on the moon.

Tasks for Yutu include surveying the moon's geological structure and surface substances, while looking for natural resources.

China launched Chang'e-2 on Oct. 1, 2010.

The lunar probe is now more than 60 million kilometers away from Earth, and has become China's first man-made asteroid.

Both Chang'e-2 and Chang'e-3 are part of the second stage of China's three-stage lunar mission. That's orbiting, landing, and returning to Earth.