China's lunar exploration and space engineering center is planning to collect names for the Chang'e-3 lunar rover, which will be launched at the end of this year, from across the world, xinhuanet.com reported.

The global name-collecting campaign is initiated to enhance people's understanding of China's lunar exploration project and increase their patriotic enthusiasm. People can submit their ideas through the Internet as soon as the activity kicks off in late September.

As the main mission of lunar exploration project phaseⅡ, CE-3 is expected to make a soft landing and exploration on an astronomical object outside the Earth for the first time by China. The mission of lunar rover is to complete surface moving, telecommunication and scientific research on the moon.