China’s lunar rover ‘Jade Rabbit’ wakes from 5-day ‘nap’

10 Jan, 2019 13:50 / Updated 5 years ago

China’s moon rover got back to work on the far side of the moon Thursday after waking from a five-day hibernation. “Afternoon nap is over, waking up and getting moving,” the Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2) posted on the Twitter-like Weibo. The rover went into standby mode on Saturday to protect itself from temperatures reaching towards 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the China Lunar Exploration Program under the China National Space Administration. The 140kg (308 pound) rover has since resumed activities, which will include taking a picture of the front side of the lander and exploration missions, AFP reported. The Chang’e-4 mission – named after a moon goddess – made the world’s first soft landing on the moon’s far side on January 3.