Awesome Chinese Lunar Lander Footage [VIDEO]

Newly released footage from China’s Chang’e lunar lander offers a spectacular view of the craft’s approach and descent to our moon.

China’s state television agency released the footage over the weekend after Chang’e 3 – named for the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology – successfully completed a soft landing and released the Yutu or Jade Rabbit lunar rover. (Yutu was Chang’e’s pet rabbit. Nice touch, hm?)

China has become the third nation to carry out a soft landing after the United States and the former Soviet Union in 1976. It’s a huge leap forward for their space program which aims to eventually land a human being on the lunar surface.

Pop on your helmet and check out the exciting footage!