China's lunar probe Chang'e-3 will land on the moon at around 9:40 pm Saturday and will be China's first spacecraft to soft-land on the surface of an extraterrestrial body, Legal Mirror reported Friday.

It will take Chang'e-3 12 minutes to land on the moon from a distance of about 15 kilometers above the surface.

A machine that can calculate speed and distance in the lander of the Chang'e-3 will scan the moon's surface during landing. It will suspend itself 100 meters above the surface, moving Chang'e-3 to the optimal point for a smooth landing.

Chang'e-3 will then conduct research on the terrain and geology of the moon's surface. After it lands on the surface, Chang'e-3 will release moon rover "Yutu" (Jade Rabbit) and survey the moon with a special telescope and camera.

After separating with Chang'e-3, Yutu will land on the surface of the moon through a ladder and travel at a speed of 200 meters per hour.

Chang'e-3 was successfully launched on December 2 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

Global Times