Its spokesman Wu Zhijian says the rover has been transferred to southwest China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Wu says the the probe will practice soft-landing on the moon, explore the moon’s surface, and create a space engineering system for lunar patrolling. The rover will also send back 3D images, infrared spectrums and lunar soil analysis.

China's Chang'e-3 moon rover to be launched early December.

The Chang’e-3 moon probe is part of the second stage of China’s three-stage lunar mission. It includes orbiting, landing, and analyzing lunar soil and stone samples. China launched Chang’e-1 in 2007 and Chang’e-2 in 2010.

The first probe collected a large body of data and a completed map of the moon. The second mission greatly enhanced the resolution of the previous map and generated a high-definition image of Sinus Iridium, a plain of basaltic lava.