China's Chang'e 4 mission has entered its 15th lunar day of work on the far side of the moon, with both the Chang'e 4 lander and the Yutu 2 rover still in good condition.
The mission made a historic, first-ever landing on the lunar far side in January 2019, and its two surface craft are still going strong, despite the moon's harsh radiation and temperature environment.
Yutu 2 awoke on Feb. 17 following sunrise, with a preset plan to continue driving northwest and then southwest across the floor of Von Kármán Crater. Back on Earth, the Yutu 2 drive team has implemented measures such as wearing masks to combat the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
Related: Chang'e 4 in pictures: China's mission to the moon's far side
The rover has covered a total of 1,204 feet (367 meters) during the mission, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Yutu 2's predecessor, the Chang'e 3 mission's Yutu rover, lost mobility during its second lunar day. (One lunar day is about two Earth weeks long, as is a lunar night.)
The Chang'e 4 lander, meanwhile, resumed its own activities 13 hours after Yutu 2. Science instruments on both spacecraft are working well, the CNSA said.
Communications between teams in China and the awakening spacecraft on the far side of the moon, which never faces the Earth, were facilitated by the Queqiao relay satellite, which operates in a halo orbit around a special point beyond the moon.
The solar-powered Chang'e 4 lander and Yutu 2 rover had earlier completed their 14th lunar day of science and exploration on Jan. 31, ahead of sunset over the landing area.
These two spacecraft spent more than two weeks in a dormant state to protect against temperatures that can drop as low as minus 310 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 190 degrees Celsius) during lunar night.
Last month, China released a huge batch of Chang'e 4 data, including amazing high-resolution images from the mission. During lunar Day 13, back in December, Yutu 2 spotted and analyzed what could be rocks much younger than their surroundings.
While Chang'e 4 continues operations and sets records, China is set to launch another ambitious lunar mission late this year. Chang'e 5, a sample-return mission, will collect around 4 lbs. (2 kilograms) of samples from Oceanus Procellarum on the moon's near side before returning to Earth.
- Photos from the moon's far side! China's Chang'e 4 lunar landing in pictures
- NASA probe spots China's Chang'e 4 lander on far side of the moon (photo)
- Moon photos by China's Chang'e 2 lunar orbiter (gallery)
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