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China's Chang'e-4 probe resumes work for 29th lunar day
Updated 22:05, 07-Apr-2021
CGTN
Photo taken by the rover Yutu 2 (Jade Rabbit 2) on Jan 11, 2019 shows the lander of the Chang'e 4 probe. /China National Space Administration

Photo taken by the rover Yutu 2 (Jade Rabbit 2) on Jan 11, 2019 shows the lander of the Chang'e 4 probe. /China National Space Administration

The lander and rover of China's Chang'e-4 probe have begun their 29th lunar day of work on the far side of the moon, according to China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The lander woke up at 9:43 pm Tuesday (Beijing Time), and the rover, Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2), awoke at 3:54 am Tuesday, the CNSA said. 

The Chang'e-4 probe, which switches to dormant mode during the lunar night due to the lack of solar power, has survived about 825 Earth days on the moon. A lunar day is equal to 14 days on Earth, and a lunar night is the same length.

Located in the northwest of Chang'e-4's landing site, the rover has traveled about 682.8 meters. The linear distance between the rover and the landing site is about 455 meters.

During its 29th lunar day, the rover will continue to move northwest toward the basalt distribution area located about 1.2 km away from the rover.

The equipment aboard the rover, including a panoramic camera, an infrared imaging spectrometer, a neutral atom detector and a lunar radar, will continue to carry out scientific explorations.

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. 

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

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