RS2--daniel

Prof Ouyang is an adviser to the mission and his comments reveal the scale of Chinese thinking about the Moon.

He said the forthcoming venture would land in an ancient crater 400km wide called Sinus Iridum, thought to be relatively flat and clear of rocks, and explore its geology.

He explained that there were three motivations behind the drive to investigate the Moon.

"First, to develop our technology because lunar exploration requires many types of technology, including communications, computers, all kinds of IT skills and the use of different kinds of materials. This is the key reason," he told BBC News.

"Second, in terms of the science, besides Earth we also need to know our brothers and sisters like the Moon, its origin and evolution and then from that we can know about our Earth.

"Third, in terms of the talents, China needs its own intellectual team who can explore the whole lunar and solar system - that is also our main purpose."

This will be the third robotic rover mission to land on the lunar surface, but the Chinese vehicle carries a more sophisticated payload, including ground-penetrating radar which will gather measurements of the lunar soil and crust.

It's a demonstration, to China's own people and the rest of the world, of how far this country has developed, of its scientific and technological prowess, of its ability to mobilise human and financial resources.

The mission will spur the development of communications and other technologies. There may be military and civilian spin-offs.

And above all of course, for a Communist Party's leaders the science is less important than the symbolism of a rising China, reaching for the Moon.

Chang'e-3 mission instruments

On the lander:

Optical ultraviolet telescope for astronomy
Ultraviolet camera to monitor space weather
Descent camera to monitor the landing

On the rover:

Two panoramic cameras
Engineering and navigation cameras
Arm-mounted alpha particle X-ray spectrometer to analyse chemical elements in rocks and soil
Infrared spectrometer to study minerals
Ground-penetrating radar to map the structure of lunar soil and crust down to several hundred feet