Smooth start for Chang'e-3

Successful launch of lunar probe paves the way for a soft landing on the moon, report Zhao Lei in Xichang, Sichuan province, Fu Jing in Brussels, Chen Jia in San Francisco and Zhao Huanxin in Beijing.

The launch of the Chang'e-3 lunar probe early on Monday morning attracted worldwide attention, with the European Space Agency and a number of academics in the United States predicting that the mission will bring new advances and closer cooperation.

Chang'e-3 was sent into space on schedule at 1:30 am at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province.