China today launched a probe to orbit the moon, in preparation for its first mission to land a craft on the lunar surface and return to Earth, a news report said.

The Long March-3C rocket took off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the south-western province of Sichuan early today, Xinhua reported.

The probe it was carrying successfully separated and was on course for its moon orbit, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.

The mission is set to take eight days, the report said, and include a single flight, or half-orbit, around the moon by the probe.

China will use it to gain data and test technology for its planned unmanned moon landing in 2017 by the Chang’e-5 probe, the first intended to collect samples and return to Earth.

Scientists will be looking in particular at re-entry performance, as the spacecraft will have to slow from 11.2 kilometres per second before landing in China’s sparsely populated Inner Mongolia region.

The Chang’e-1 and Chang’e-2 missions in 2007 and 2010 saw a successful orbit of the moon. China’s Chang'e-3 probe made a soft  landing on the moon in December, carrying the rover Yutu. Chang’e-4 was a backup probe and has not been deployed.

- dpa