A spacecraft launched by China has landed on the moon, the first "soft landing" a man-made object has made on the moon since 1976.

Only the United States and Soviet Union have landed objects on the moon previously. The Chang'e 3 lander is carrying a rover which will explore the lunar surface for the next three months. While the United States has turned most of its attention away from the Moon and towards Mars, China has focused on our satellite, aiming to land a human on the lunar surface by 2030.

The landing, which was broadcast on Chinese television, happened at 9:14 p.m. local time. The rover will explore the Bay of Rainbows, where it will conduct studies on the geology of the unexplored part of the moon. The probe and its rover are expected to photograph each other later this weekend, to prove the success of the mission.