Science 2 min read

Chinese Lunar Rover Takes Extraordinary Photos of Dark Side of the Moon

Capitano Productions Eye / Shutterstock.com

Capitano Productions Eye / Shutterstock.com

Just a few hours after the Chang’E 4 spacecraft landed on the dark side of the Moon, it has already sent back a number of photos of the lunar surface.

After the Chang’E 4 spacecraft landed on the far side of the Moon on January 2nd, the onboard Chinese lunar rover immediately began its lunar mission. The six-wheeled rover, called Yutu 2, showed no signs of stopping and, over the weekend, released a number of high-resolution images of the moon.

The images were sent back to Earth via the relay satellite Queqiao, launched ahead of Chang’E 4 last May. The satellite helps the CNSA communicate with the spacecraft situated on the non-Earth-facing side of the Moon. The Chinese lander and rover touched base inside the 115-mile-wide Von Kármán Crater. Each device is equipped with four scientific instruments to navigate and study their surroundings.

Yutu 2 is designed to operate for at least three months on the Moon’s surface. It is the successor of Yutu 1, launched on the near side of the Moon in 2013 as part of the Chang’E 3 lunar mission. Below are some of the images captured by both the Chang-E 4 lander and the Yutu 2 Chinese lunar rover.

First image of the far side of the Moon sent to Earth by Chang-E 4
First image of the far side of the Moon sent to Earth by Chang’E 4 | China National Space Administration
The Chang-E 4 lander took this close up photo of the Chinese lunar rover Yutu 2 shortly after landing
A close up photo of the Chinese lunar rover Yutu 2 shortly after landing | China National Space Administration
The Chinese lunar rover Yutu 2 pictured as it began its short descent on the surface of the Moon
The Chinese lunar rover Yutu 2 pictured as it began its short descent on the surface of the Moon | China National Space Administration
The Chinese lunar rover Yutu 2 pictured a few feet away from Chang-E 4
The Chinese lunar rover Yutu 2 pictured a few feet away from Chang’E 4 | China National Space Administration

What questions about the far side of the Moon do you believe the Chang’E 4 and Yutu 2 will help answer?

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Chelle is the Product Management Lead at INK. She's an experienced SEO professional as well as UX researcher and designer. She enjoys traveling and spending time anywhere near the sea with her family and friends.

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