China releases 308lb rover named Jade Rabbit 2 to trundle across the far side ...

A Chinese rover is making its tracks on the soft surface of the 'dark' side of the moon after touching down on our nearest celestial neighbour.

The Yutu-2 - or Jade Rabbit 2 - rover drove off its lander's ramp and onto the exterior of the moon's far side at 10:22pm Beijing time (2:22 pm GMT) on Thursday, about 12 hours after the Chinese spacecraft carrying it came to rest.

A photo was later posted online by China's space agency revealing the rover several yards away from the spacecraft. 

The tracks it makes on the surface of the moon will be forever immotalised and will never be lost as there is no wind on the moon due to its lack of an atmosphere.  

By 5pm Beijing time (9am GMT) the three fifteen-foot long antennaes on Chang'e-4 had also been fully unfurled to enable the low-frequency radio spectrometre to begin work. 

The rover which is currently meandering around the moon on six independently controlled wheels, has also established a robust connection with its relay satellite, Queqiao. 

Yutu-2 has already completed environmental perception, route planning, walking to where it is pictured currently and starting its scientific operations. 

Chinese state media also reports that the cameras on the machine have been turned on and are working normally.

The other equipment will be turned on one by one, according to the Chinese space agency CNSA. 

Jade Rabbit 2 weighs 308lbs (139kg) and has six individually powered wheels so it can continue to operate even if one wheel fails. 

It can climb a 20-degree hill or an obstacle up to eight inches (20cm) tall and its maximum speed is said to be 220 yards (200 metres) per hour.

The pioneering rover is five feet (1.5 metres) long and about 3 feet (one metre) wide and tall, with two foldable solar panels and six wheels. 

The rover and its accompanying lander will carry out mineral, biological and radiation tests ahead of a future base that China hopes to build on the moon.

The results of these experiments could lead to new understandings of the challenges faced by settlers who may one day colonise our natural satellite.

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By 5pm Beijing time (09:00 GMT) the three fifteen-foot long antennaes on Chang'e-4 had also been fully unfurled to enable the low-frequency radio spectrometre to begin work. The rover which is currently meandering around the moon on six independently controlled wheels, has also established a robust connection with its relay satellite, Queqiao 

By 5pm Beijing time (09:00 GMT) the three fifteen-foot long antennaes on Chang'e-4 had also been fully unfurled to enable the low-frequency radio spectrometre to begin work. The rover which is currently meandering around the moon on six independently controlled wheels, has also established a robust connection with its relay satellite, Queqiao 

A Chinese rover is making its tracks on the soft surface of the 'dark' side of the moon after touching down on our nearest celestial neighbour. The Yutu-2 - or Jade Rabbit 2 - rover drove off its lander's ramp and onto the snow-like exterior of the moon's far side at 10:22pm GMT on Thursday, about 12 hours after the Chinese spacecraft carrying it came to rest. Its scientific instruments include a panoramic camera, ground-penetrating radar, and instruments to identify the chemical makeup of the lunar surface

A Chinese rover is making its tracks on the soft surface of the 'dark' side of the moon after touching down on our nearest celestial neighbour. The Yutu-2 - or Jade Rabbit 2 - rover drove off its lander's ramp and onto the snow-like exterior of the moon's far side at 10:22pm GMT on Thursday, about 12 hours after the Chinese spacecraft carrying it came to rest. Its scientific instruments include a panoramic camera, ground-penetrating radar, and instruments to identify the chemical makeup of the lunar surface

Yutu-2 has a host of instruments and will be powered by solar panels.  Unlike the similar probe on-board the Chang'e-3 mission this rover has no robotic arm. It does have radar, panoramic and infrared cameras and six wheels which work independently 

Yutu-2 has a host of instruments and will be powered by solar panels.  Unlike the similar probe on-board the Chang'e-3 mission this rover has no robotic arm. It does have radar, panoramic and infrared cameras and six wheels which work independently 

'It's a small step for the rover, but one giant leap for the Chinese nation,' Wu Weiren, the chief designer of the Lunar Exploration Project, told state broadcaster CCTV.

'This giant leap is a decisive move for our exploration of space and the conquering of the universe.' 

The rover is equipped with a variety of scientific instruments to help it analyse the surface of the moon, including a panoramic and infrared camera, ground-penetrating radar a low-frequency radio spectrometer. 

The rover will use its panoramic camera to identify interesting locations and its Visible and Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (VNIS) will help analyse minerals in the crater. 

WHAT DO THE NAMES OF CHINA'S MOON MISSION MEAN?  
Chang'e-4    

Chang'e is the moon goddess and wife of god Houyi in Ancient Chinese mythology. 

Houyi is one of the most powerful mythological figures in China. 

It is said that he shot down nine Suns to make Earth a liveable habitat for human beings.

The number four in the name is a more modern-day nod to the space programme. 

This spacecraft is the fourth of the Chang'e missions.  

Yutu-2 

Yutu (jade rabbit) is the companion of Chang'e in the mythological stories. 

This is fittingly also the name of the rover on-board Chang'e-4. 

Yutu-2 is so labelled because it is the successor to Yutu-1 which was deployed from the Chang'e-3 mission earlier this decade.  

Queqiao

Queqiao is the relay satellite and translates to Magpie Bridge.

This name also stems from Ancient Chinese mythology.

The Queqiao was a bridge formed by birds flying across the Milky Way to connect two separated lovers.

This relay satellite will allow communication between the moon probe and Earth.  

This includes what scientists call 'ejecta' - rocks that have churned up from deep to the surface from impacts meteors. 

Its Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) instrument will take a look down into the depths of the moon with a maximum vertical distance of approximately 300 feet (100 metres). 

Experiments of seeds and plants that were taken to the moon from Earth on-board the Chang'e-4 probe will be done inside the lunar lander itself. 

Unlike its predecessor, the Chang'e-3 mission, the latest addition to the moon's surface does not have a robotic arm. 

The lander also has a low-frequency radio spectrometer (LFS) which will be part of a scientific experiment to study space without the constant radio interference from Earth. 

Being on the far side of the moon shields the equipment from the noise and will allow Chang'e-4 to produce a low-radio wave emission map of the sky. 

Exploring the cosmos from the far side of the moon could eventually help scientists learn more about the early days of the solar system and even the birth of the universe's first stars. 

The far side can't be seen from Earth and is popularly called the 'dark side' because it is relatively unknown, not because it lacks sunlight.

'The surface is soft and it is similar that you are walking on the snow,' Shen Zhenrong, the rover designer from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said on CCTV. 

Three nations - the United States, the former Soviet Union and more recently China - have sent spacecraft to the near side of the moon, but the latest landing is the first on the far side. 

A never-before-seen 'close range' image taken by the Chinese spacecraft Chang'e-4 of the surface of the far side of the moon. It appears to take on a reddish hue in some of the images released by China, an effect of the lights used by the probe

A never-before-seen 'close range' image taken by the Chinese spacecraft Chang'e-4 of the surface of the far side of the moon. It appears to take on a reddish hue in some of the images released by China, an effect of the lights used by the probe

This picture of Yutu-2 was taken from the lander as the rover was being released. It shows a close-up of one of Yutu-2's wheels

This picture of Yutu-2 was taken from the lander as the rover was being released. It shows a close-up of one of Yutu-2's wheels

That side has been observed many times from lunar orbit, but never up close. 

The mission highlights China's growing ambitions to rival the U.S., Russia and Europe in space, and more broadly, to cement its position as a regional and global power.

Lunar explorer Chang'e-4 touched down at 10.26am local time (2.26am GMT) on Thursday, state media reported, and soon after beamed back the first ever image of the 'dark side' of the moon.

It then released its rover, Yutu-2, which rolled out onto the lunar surface. 

A photograph taken from the Chang'e-4 probe during its landing process, as it became the first rover to ever reach the surface of the dark side of the moon

This is one of the first ever close-up images taken of the dark side of the moon which never faces towards Earth. This region is vastly unexplored and unknown to scientists compared to the side of the moon we can see and have visited with the Apollo and subsequent NASA missions

Photographs taken from the Chang'e-4 probe during its landing process, as it became the first rover to ever reach the surface of the dark side of the moon

While stationed on the moon, Yutu-2 will attempt to recce the famous Von Karman crater in the Aitken basin, the largest impact crater in the entire solar system at eight miles (13 km) deep and 1,600 miles (2,500 km) in diameter. 

It will also be tasked with carrying out mineral and radiation tests, presenting scientists with the first-ever chance to examine materials from the far side of the moon. 

The far side of the moon - colloquially known as the dark side - actually gets as much light as the near side but always faces away from Earth. 

This is because the moon is tidally locked to Earth, rotating at the same rate that it orbits our planet, so the far side - or the 'dark side' - is never visible from our planet.

This relatively unexplored region is mountainous and rugged, making a successful landing much harder to achieve.  

The Lunar explorer touched down at 10.26am local time (2.26am GMT). While stationed on the moon, Chang'e-4 will attempt to recce the Von in the Aitken basin, the largest impact crater in the entire solar system at eight miles (13km) deep and 1,600 miles (2,500km) in diameter

The Lunar explorer touched down at 10.26am local time (2.26am GMT). While stationed on the moon, Chang'e-4 will attempt to recce the Von in the Aitken basin, the largest impact crater in the entire solar system at eight miles (13km) deep and 1,600 miles (2,500km) in diameter

Why does the moon look RED? The first high resolution image of the far side of the moon from the Chang'e-4 probe was illuminated by a powerful lamp giving it a pinkish-red hue. It shows the undulating terrain leading up to a large ridge

It appears to take on a reddish hue in some of the images released by China due to an effect from the lights used on the mission, according to Christopher Conselice, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Nottingham.

Beijing is hoping to send another probe next year that will retrieve samples and bring them back to Earth. 

Images, footage and information regarding the Chang'e-4 mission were scarce prior to Thursday's announcement from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) of a successful landing due to the nation's quest to beat the US, Europe and Russia to the landmark achievement. 

Footage later emerged of the landing after it was spotted playing inside the control room by an eagle-eyed onlooker - but was not live streamed to the public by the secretive space agency.  

Jade Rabbit 2 weighs 308lbs (139kg) and has six individually powered wheels so it can continue to operate even if one wheel fails. It rolled on to the lunar surface from the lander via two ramps and will explore the Von Karman crater in the southern region of the far side of the moon 

Jade Rabbit 2 weighs 308lbs (139kg) and has six individually powered wheels so it can continue to operate even if one wheel fails. It rolled on to the lunar surface from the lander via two ramps and will explore the Von Karman crater in the southern region of the far side of the moon 

The mission is formed of three basic parts - the rover, the lander and the relay satellite. They will work in unison to study, analyse and send information back to the scientists on Earth

The mission is formed of three basic parts - the rover, the lander and the relay satellite. They will work in unison to study, analyse and send information back to the scientists on Earth

Beijing is pouring billions into the military-run programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022, and of eventually sending humans to the moon.

WHY DOES THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON LOOK RED?  

One of the first images to emerge from the Chang'e-4 lunar probe on the dark side of the moon shows a crater and a ridge in the background bathed in a reddish hue.

The entire image is tinged in a pink glow which makes the surface resemble Mars more than it does the moon.

This, according to Christopher Conselice, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Nottingham, is merely a trick of the light.

He told MailOnline: 'The appearance of the reddish hue of the image from the lunar probe is a trick of the light.

'The surface of the far side of the moon is the same colour as on the near side, but the illumination from the lamp on Chang'e-4 created a glow which altered the way it looks.'

Professor Conselice compared the image to when a lamp is turned on in the corner of the room and changes the way the surfaces are perceived.

He also says that the light appears to span to the horizon due to the location of the probe within the Von Karman crater and its proximity to a large ridge which hides the more distant terrain.

The Chang'e-4 lunar probe mission - named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology - launched in December 2018 from the southwestern Xichang launch centre.

It is the second Chinese probe to land on the moon, following the Yutu rover mission in 2013.

China announced that in honour of this success the rover on-board Chang'e-4 has been named Yutu 2.   

Previous spacecraft have seen the far side of the moon, but none has landed on it.

China launched the Chang'e-4 probe on December 7 2018 by a Long March-3B rocket. 

It includes a lander and a rover to explore the surface of the moon.

Xinhua said the probe entered an elliptical lunar orbit at 08.55 Beijing time, which brought it nine miles (15km) away from the surface of the moon. 

The Chang'e-4 first entered a lunar orbit on December 12, 2018.

The probe entered lunar orbit 'to prepare for the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon', the China National Space Administration said at the time. 

The tasks of the Chang'e-4 include astronomical observation, surveying the moon's terrain, landform and mineral composition, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment on the far side of the moon.   

Technicians work at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) in Beijingto on January 3 make the Chang'e-4 probe landing successful. It touched down on the far side of the moon and in the process became the first spacecraft soft-landing on the moon's uncharted 'dark side' which is never visible from Earth

Technicians work at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) in Beijingto on January 3 make the Chang'e-4 probe landing successful. It touched down on the far side of the moon and in the process became the first spacecraft soft-landing on the moon's uncharted 'dark side' which is never visible from Earth

Emotional space technicians celebrate the landing at the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre on January 3. Beijing is pouring billions into the military-run programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022, and of eventually sending humans to the moon

The Beijing Aerospace Control Centre looks on anxiously as the lunar rover begins its approach to the surface on January 3

Emotional space technicians celebrate the landing at the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre on January 3. Beijing is pouring billions into the military-run programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022, and of eventually sending humans to the moon

Researchers hope the seeds will grow to blossom on the Moon, with the process captured on camera and transmitted to Earth. 

China aims to catch up with Russia and the United States to become a major space power by 2030. 

It is planning to launch construction of its own manned space station next year. 

However, while China has insisted its ambitions are purely peaceful, the US Defense Department has accused it of pursuing activities aimed at preventing other nations from using space-based assets during a crisis.

Chang'e-4 will target the South Pole-Aitken basin's Von Karman crater. This image shows a simulated landing process of Chang'e-4 lunar probe seen through the monitor at Beijing Aerospace Control Center

A simulation released by the Chinese space agency (CNSA) shows how the probe, comprising a lander and a rover, would have landed at a preselected area on the far side of the moon

The Chang'e-4 (artist's impression pictured left) is the first ever probe to land on the far side of the lunar surface. A lander helped guide a rover to the surface of the far side of the moon. A simulation released by the Chinese space agency (right) shows how the probe, comprising a lander and a rover, landed at a preselected area on the far side of the moon

The space control centre will select a 'proper time' to land the probe on the far side of the moon, Xinhua reported. 

As the landing is happening on the dark side of the moon it required its own satellite to be able to send information back. 

To facilitate communication between controllers on Earth and the Chang'e-4 mission, China launched a relay satellite named Queqiao on 20 May and is now stationed in operational orbit about 40,000 miles beyond the moon. 

WHY IS THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON KNOWN AS THE 'DARK SIDE'? 

The far side of the moon - colloquially known as the dark side - actually gets as much light as the near side but always faces away from Earth.

Less than a fifth of the opposite half of the moon is ever visible and it wasn't until 1959 until we received images of what it looked like when the Soviet Luna 3 spacecraft returned snapped the mysterious region.  

In 1968, astronauts aboard the Apollo 8 spacecraft were the first humans to set eyes on the far side in person as they orbited the moon.

Since then, several missions by NASA and other space agencies have imaged the lunar far side.

That includes NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft, which imaged the far side from a distance of 31 million miles (49m km) in 2008.

This relatively unexplored region is mountainous and rugged, making a successful landing much harder to achieve.

Professor of astrophysics at the University of Nottingham, Christopher Conselice, said the far side is much more rugged and has less volcanic activity than the side we see from Earth. 

There have been numerous landings on the moon as a result of the 20th century space race between the US and the USSR - including the famed Apollo 11 mission which saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans on the moon. After Luna 24  landed on August 18 the next lunar landing was the Chinese mission Chang'e-3 on December 14, 2013. Chang'e-4 is the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon 

There have been numerous landings on the moon as a result of the 20th century space race between the US and the USSR - including the famed Apollo 11 mission which saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin

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