China's lunar rover Jade Rabbit retires

BEIJING -- China's lunar rover Jade Rabbit, launched as part of the Chang'e-3 lunar mission in 2013, has stopped operations, according to an official announcement.

The State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) said on Wednesday that Chang'e-3, China's first lunar lander, has operated on the moon for 31 months, exceeding its design life by 19 months.

Chang'e-3 entered its 33th lunar night on July 28. A lunar night lasts approximately 14 earth days.

According to SASTIND, the Chang'e-3 has collected a large amount of scientific data, and the Jade Rabbit, far exceeding its design life of three months, completed many challenging missions for Chang'e-3, such as obtaining images of the moon's geological layers for the first time.