The paper states that continued exploration by Yutu-2 will target “materials on the floor of the Von Kármán crater to understand their geologic context, origin and abundance, and to assess the possibility of sample-return scenarios.”

We can also expect more exciting news from Chang’e-4 in the near future. Wang Chi, director of the National Space Science Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, says that results from low-frequency radio observations are also expected soon, again taking advantage of the unique environment on the lunar far side.

Lunar day 5 and beyond

Yutu-2 and the Chang’e-4 lander powered down at 03:05 and 04:00 UTC 11 May respectively, bringing activities for lunar day 5 to a close.

No updates were provided regarding the Yutu-2 rover’s noon nap, a 6-day long period of dormancy to protect against the high temperatures with the Sun high in the sky. Instead we learned that Yutu-2 travelled 11.76 meters across day 5, taking the rover’s total mission drive to 190.66 meters.

Drive distances have been decreasing, since covering 120 meters across the first 2 days. Days 3 and 4 saw 43 and 15.9 meters of roving respectively. However, this is no cause for concern for the spacecraft, says Wang Chi.

“The route of Yutu-2 is designed by science goals [while] taking lunar terrain conditions into account,” Wang says. “Yutu-2 works fine so far.”

The rover faces challenging and variable lunar terrain and careful maneuvering is needed when, for example, bringing VNIS to bear on specific specimens, given its narrow field of view.