Breaking News English

China's expedition to the Moon has sent back its first photos of the surface. The Jade Rabbit rover is the first vehicle to drive on the Moon since America's Apollo mission 40 years ago. Chinese scientists were very happy with the first high-quality images. They were of an area of the Moon called the Bay of Rainbows. The photos showed the Chinese flag clearly visible against the dark of space. Jade Rabbit will test soil samples ahead of the possible mining of the Moon's rocks and minerals. China said its mission was "an important component" of exploring "the peaceful use of space".

The South China Morning Post said the Moon landing was a great achievement in Chinese history. It described the importance of China's rise as a space power. It added that nothing compared with the scientific and technological significance of the Moon landing, and that the mission, "has transformed China's dream of putting a man on the moon into a given; sooner rather than later". China's science fiction writers are also happy. One described his vision of the future, saying: "I think everything will look differently when a Chinese person looks at Earth from the Moon. I expect that day will come."