Yutu-2 is a robotic lunar rover that formed part of the Chinese Chang'e 4 mission to the Moon. It was launched on 7 December 2018, 18:23 UTC. It entered lunar orbit on 12 December 2018, before landing on the Moon's far side on 3 January 2019, and is still operational.
Overview
The total landing mass is. Both the stationary lander and Yutu-2 rover are equipped with a radioisotope heater unit in order to heat their subsystems during the long lunar nights, while electrical power is generated by solar panels. After landing, the lander extended a ramp to deploy the Yutu-2 rover to the lunar surface. The rover measures 1.5 × 1.0 × 1.0 m and has a mass of. Yutu-2 rover was manufactured in Dongguan, Guangdong province; it is solar-powered, RHU-heated, and it is propelled by six wheels. The rover's nominal operating time is three months, but after the experience with Yutu rover in 2013, the rover design was improved and Chinese engineers are hopeful it will operate for "a few years."
Science payloads
Panoramic Camera, is installed on the rover's mast and can rotate 360°. It has a spectral range of 420 nm–700 nm and it acquires 3D images by binocular stereovision.
Lunar penetrating radar, is a ground penetrating radar with a probing depth of approximately 30 m with 30 cm vertical resolution, and more than 100 m with 10 m vertical resolution.
Visible and Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, for imaging spectroscopy that can then be used for identification of surface materials and atmospheric trace gases. The spectral range covers visible to near-infrared wavelengths.
The cost of the entire mission was close to building one kilometer of subway. The cost-per-kilometer of subway in China varies from 500 million yuan to 1.2 billion yuan, depending on the difficulty of construction.
A few days after landing, Yutu-2 went into hibernation for its first lunar night and it resumed activities on January 29, 2019 with all instruments operating nominally. During its first full lunar day, the rover travelled, and on 11 February 2019 it powered down for its second lunar night. In May 2019, it was reported that Chang'e 4 has identified what appear to be mantle rocks on the surface, its primary objective. In December 2019, Yutu 2 broke the lunar longevity record, previously held by the Soviet Union's Lunokhod 1 rover, which operated on the lunar surface for eleven lunar days and traversed a total distance of. In February 2020, Chinese astronomers reported, for the first time, a high-resolution image of a lunar ejecta sequence, and, as well, direct analysis of its internal architecture. These were based on observations made by the Lunar Penetrating Radar on board the Yutu-2 rover while studying the far side of the Moon.
