China’s Chang’e-4 probe resumes work for 26th lunar day

The lander and rover of China’s Chang’e-4 probe on Friday resumed work for the 26th lunar day on the far side of the moon.

The lander woke up at 3.13 a.m. on Friday (Beijing time), and the rover Yutu-2, or Jade Rabbit-2, woke up at 10.29 a.m. on Thursday, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration.

Since landing on the moon on January 3, 2019, the Chang’e-4 probe has survived 736 Earth days on the moon, Xinhua news agency reported.

A lunar day equals 14 days on Earth, and a lunar night is the same length.

The 135-kg lunar rover Jade Rabbit-2 is the first-ever rover to drive on the Moon’s far side, as well as the lightest rover ever sent to the Moon.