Chang'e-4 returns new images of the lunar surface

2020-06-18 CGTN Editor:Gu Liping

China's lunar rover Yutu-2 and Chang'e-4 lander were awakened autonomously on June 15, and entered their 19th lunar day of activity on the far side of the moon.  

Since the Chang'e-4 probe 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 last year, it has been working for nearly a year and a half, and returned new images of the lunar surface.

Based on the data obtained on the 17th lunar day, the Yutu-2 science team identified a nearby crater for examination. With a small diameter of about 1.3 meters and a depth of not more than 20 centimeters, the crater was found at about three meters southwest of the current position of the Yutu-2 lunar rover. There are reflective materials in the center of the crater, which is obviously different from the brightness of the surrounding moon soil, according to a Xinhua report.

In order to provide communications support for China's first Mars exploration mission, the two deep-space observation and control stations in Jiamusi and Kashi, China, were officially completed on June 13 after over a month's transformation. Communications have returned to normal and continue to support Yutu-2 on the back of the moon now, according to China Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP).

Cheng'e-4 revealed the geological stratification structure in the landing area on the far side of the moon for the first time, and described its material composition and evolution mechanism.

Most popular in 24h
APP | PC