China releases incredible images of the moon's surface

China's Yutu moon rover (Chinese Academy of Sciences/China National Space Administration /The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration/Emily Lakdawalla)

China’s National Space Administration has released a slew of stunning moon images taken by its Chang'e 3 lander and Yutu rover.

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The Planetary Society has posted a number of the color HD images on its website. The pictures show, for example, the Yutu rover driving across the moon’s surface and the Chang'e 3 lander in an incredible moonscape.

China's Chang'e 3 lander (Chinese Academy of Sciences/China National Space Administration/The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration/Emily Lakdawalla)

The unmanned Chang'e 3 lunar mission reached the moon in December 2013. Last year the Yutu rover found evidence of a new type of balsatic rock on the moon’s surface.

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China also expects to land a probe on the so-called “dark side of the moon” two years earlier than planned, the country’s state media recently reported. The Chang'e 4 lander will reach the moon in 2018 instead of the earlier mark of 2020, according to media reports.