Lander and rover of China’s Chang’e 4 probe completes 1,003.9 metres of travel on far side of moon

Yutu-2, the lander and rover of China’s Chang’e 4 lunar probe which scripted history in 2019 when it made the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon, has travelled 1,003.9 metres of the region and captured an obscure intriguing image of a mysterious object, the official media reported on Saturday.The distance covered by Yutu-2, or Jade Rabbit-2, was 1,003.9 metres as of Thursday midnight, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Lunar Exploration and Space Programme Centre of the China National Space Administration.

The Chang’e-4 probe, launched on December 8, 2018, made the first-ever soft landing on the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon on January 3, 2019. It has also sent back close-up images of the previously unexplored region.

Earlier this year, Yutu-2 was switched to the dormant mode during the lunar night due to the lack of solar power.

A lunar day is equal to 14 days on Earth, and a lunar night is of the same length. Yutu-2 is currently in the mission’s 38th lunar day and is in good condition, the report said.

According to the latest update, Yutu-2 captured an obscure but intriguing image about 80 metres from its location during the mission’s 36th lunar day.

Something cubic loomed on the horizon to the north, sitting next to a young impact crater, said the rover’s log.

The image sparked heated debates on social media platforms, the report said.

When Yutu-2 finally reached about 10 metres away from the mysterious object, the panorama camera on the rover took colour pictures of the object.

According to the pictures, researchers identified that the object might be a rock. Coincidentally, the rock looks like a jade rabbit, the report said.

The rover is expected to take a close look at the rock, and detect the large impact crater behind the rock during the next lunar day, the centre said.