China’s second lunar rover Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2), which is the first-ever rover to drive on the Moon’s far side, will face considerable challenges brought by complicated terrain. On January 3, the Chang’e-4 probe touched down on the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the far side of the moon.
“From the images sent back from Chang’e-4, we can see the area surrounding the probe is dotted with craters of different sizes, and it’s very difficult for the rover to drive in the region,” said Sun Zezhou, chief designer of the probe.
The rover is capable of avoiding some obstacles. If there are obstacles in front of it, it can stop and plan a new route on its own. It can also climb some slopes and cross some rocks.
“We haven’t found any insurmountable obstacles in the region yet,” Sun said.