China successfully landed an unmanned spacecraft on the moon today, Dec. 14, in the first such "soft-landing" since 1976, according to Reuters.

The landing means China now joins the U.S. and the former Soviet Union in successfully accomplishing the difficult feat.

The Chang'e 3 spacecraft, which was named after a lunar goddess in Chinese mythology, was sent up with the solar-powered Yutu, or Jade Rabbit buggy, which has been designed to "dig and conduct geological surveys" on the moon, according to Reuters.

China is interested in building its space programs recently for commercial, military, and scientific purposes.

During its most recent manned space mission, three astronauts spent a total of 15 days in orbit as part of Beijing's pursuit to build a working space station no later than 2020. The mission occurred back in June.

The spacecraft had touched down in the Sinus Iridum, or the Bay of Rainbows, at 9:12 p.m, according to a report by the official Xinhua news service.

Before landing, the spacecraft hovered over the surface for a number of minutes trying to find a safe place to land.

China Central Television (CCTV) broadcasted images of the spacecraft's location on the moon shortly after its arrival and a computer generated image of Chang'e 3 on the moon could be seen on its website.

The Bay of Rainbows was selected because it has yet to be studied, according to Xinhua.

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