China just released photos of its first moon landing and the rover that made history

The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program released photos of its first moon landing to the public late last month.

It took place in 2013, when China set its rover, called Yutu — Chinese for "Jade Rabbit"— down in one of the largest craters in the solar system, Mare Imbrium.

The rover would later go on to make history by setting the record for operating longer than any lunar rover before it.

Now we can explore Mare Imbrium through the eyes of Yutu and its lander for the first time. Check out some of the photos below.

Most of these images are compilations of multiple database photos stitched together by Emily Lakdawalla, editor of The Planetary Society, for this post.

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The mission marks the first time humans have landed anything on the moon since the 1970s. The lander, shown here, first touched down on December 14, 2013, and deployed the Yutu rover 7.5 hours later.

Here's a shot of Yutu making tracks across the moon's surface, which it did for about a month after touchdown before losing the ability to move. Still, Yutu continued to send information for months after that, and in October it broke the record for operating longer than any other lunar rover in history.

Chinese engineers placed cameras on the lander, below, and the Yutu rover, which took this photo on January 13, 2014 — two days before the rover's motor failed and it lost mobility.