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BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's lunar rover Jade Rabbit, launched as part of the Chang'e-3 lunar mission in 2013, has stopped operations, according to an official announcement.
The State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) said on Wednesday that Chang'e-3, China's first lunar lander, has operated on the moon for 31 months, exceeding its design life by 19 months.
Chang'e-3 entered its 33th lunar night on July 28. A lunar night lasts approximately 14 earth days.
According to SASTIND, the Chang'e-3 has collected a large amount of scientific data, and the Jade Rabbit, far exceeding its design life of three months, completed many challenging missions for Chang'e-3, such as obtaining images of the moon's geological layers for the first time.
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China exclusive: Chinese netizens bid farewell to Yutu, beloved lunar rover
BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- "Hi! This could be the last greetings from me!"
The Sina Weibo farewell message posted four days ago by user "Jade Rabbit Lunar Rover," which posts first-person accounts of Yutu, China's lunar rover, caused a stir on China's social media. Yutu and his antics have continued to proved hugely popular across China. Full story
