China's Chang'e-4 probe awakened for 23rd lunar day
Updated 12:59, 12-Oct-2020
CGTN
Models of China's Yutu-2 rover (L) and the lander. /CFP

Models of China's Yutu-2 rover (L) and the lander. /CFP

The lander and the rover of China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe resumed work for the 23rd lunar day, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration.

The lander was activated at 11:56 a.m. on Sunday after Yutu-2, the rover, awakened at 6:57 p.m. on Saturday. The pair have survived for 647 Earth days on the far side of the Moon.

The purple circles are the nearest impact craters with high reflectivity; the red circle is the location of a rock with a diameter of 30 centimeters; the white line is the planned path of Yutu-2. /Official Weibo account of China's Lunar Exploration Program

The purple circles are the nearest impact craters with high reflectivity; the red circle is the location of a rock with a diameter of 30 centimeters; the white line is the planned path of Yutu-2. /Official Weibo account of China's Lunar Exploration Program

During this lunar-day period, equivalent to 14 Earth days, the rover will travel northwest towards the basalt-distributed area or impact craters with high reflectivity.

It will use an infrared imaging spectrometer to conduct spectral analysis on a rock about 30 centimeters in diameter on the way.

The scientific payloads carried by the rover include a panoramic camera, an infrared imaging spectrometer, a neutral atomic detector and a lunar radar.