New photos from China’s space agency shows its lunar rover leaving tracks on the far side of the moon, at the start of a historic exploration mission.
China successfully landed the Chang’e 4 spacecraft on the moon’s far side — also known as the “dark side” of the moon — on Thursday, which no nation had done before.
SkyNews reports : “It’s a small step for the rover, but one giant leap for the Chinese nation,” Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China’s Lunar Exploration Project, told state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).
“This giant leap is a decisive move for our exploration of space and the conquering of the universe,” he added.
According to state media, the Jade Rabbit 2 rover has six wheels and is powered for six-wheel drive, so even if wheels fail others will independently continue.
The new images from the moon’s surface show the Yutu No. 2 rover after it left a ramp and began to move across the lunar surface.
China’s mission is to learn more about the little-understood region of the moon, as well as to compete with the US and Russia as a powerhouse of space exploration.
Previous photos shared by China’s National Space Administration show the first-ever close-ups of the far side of the moon’s cratered surface.
