China's Yutu-2 Moon Rover: New Far Side Image | Operating Since January 2019

China's Yutu-2 Moon Rover: New Far Side Image | Operating Since January 2019

Since its arrival on January 3, 2019, China's Yutu-2 rover has traveled 1,630 meters on the mysterious far side of the Moon as of March 4, 2025. Yutu-2 or Jade Rabbit-2 has sent home this latest image showing diverse features on the lunar surface. China's Yutu-2 lunar rover has been working on the far side of the Moon for over six years as part of the China Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP). Yutu-2 is currently operational as humanity's longest-lived lunar rover and the first lunar rover traversing the far side of the Moon. This is well beyond its original 3-month design lifespan. 

Yutu-2 is the robotic lunar rover component of the China National Space Administration's Chang'e 4 Mission to the Moon, launched on December 7, 2018. Chang'e 4 soft landed in the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon on January 3, 2019.

Yutu-2 has a radioisotope heater unit to maintain its subsystems during long and cold lunar nights. Electrical power is generated by the rover's solar panels during daylight.

In addition to Yutu-2, the Chang'e-3 probe and Chang'e-4 lander are also operational on the Moon. While certain scientific instruments continue to function and transmit data, researchers are also evaluating their long-term operational capabilities. 

"The Moon-based optical telescope onboard [the] Chang'e-3 lander is still operational, performing regular on-off cycles every month, though it is no longer conducting scientific observations. Chang'e-4 is also still active," said Zuo Wei, deputy chief designer of the Chang'e-4 mission.

In addition, the country's Queqiao and Queqiao-2 relay satellites are working in the orbit around the Moon. Queqiao mainly provides Earth-Moon relay communications for Chang'e-4 and Yutu-2. After completing its mission for Chang'e-6, Queqiao-2 is currently conducting scientific observations in orbit while awaiting the arrival of Chang'e-7, scheduled for launch around 2026.

Direct communication with Earth is impossible on the far side of the Moon, since transmissions are blocked by the Moon. Communications must pass through a communications relay satellite, placed at a location that has a clear view of a landing site and the Earth.

Video Credit: CNSA
Release Date: March 4, 2025

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