Four years later, China’s Yutu 2 rover is still operating The surface of the moon It returned new images from the far side of the moon. Yutu 2 is part of the historic Chang’e 4 mission, which performed the first soft landing on the far side of the moon in January 2019.
According to Space, the rover has just begun its 51st lunar day, according to an update from the project’s social media account. Lunar exploration Chinese (CLEP), and one lunar day lasts about 29.5 Earth days.
There have been a few updates to Yutu 2 over the past year, but the rover has suddenly become a star again as China celebrates the start of the Year of the Rabbit.
The probe has traveled a total distance of 4,774 feet (1,455 meters) through Von Karmann Crater in four years of exploration, and is now 865 feet (2,837 meters) northwest of the Chang’e 4 lander from which it slid down onto the lunar surface.
New images captured show rocks, impact craters, and zigzag tracks made by Yutu 2 in lunar regolith and the crater’s 115-mile-wide (186-kilometer) distant wall.
The six-wheeled, 310-pound (140-kilogram) Yutu 2 rover has made a number of bizarre and scientifically valuable discoveries in its travels, including the discovery of a number of remarkable layers of rock beneath the lunar surface.
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