Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

China’s champion – long duration Yutu-2 rover.
Credit: CNSA/CLEP

China’s farside rover – Yutu-2 – has broken the longevity record for working on the Moon.

China Global Television Network (CGTN) reports the robot rolled by the previous record set by the Soviet Union’s Lunokhod-1.

Lunokhod 1 was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world, operating in the Sea of Rains starting November 17, 1970. The operations of Lunokhod officially ceased on October 4, 1971, the anniversary of Sputnik 1. Lunokhod had traveled 6.5 miles and had transmitted more than 20,000 TV pictures and more than 200 TV panoramas.

Soviet Union’s Lunokhod Moon rover. Lunokhod 1 was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world.
Courtesy LRO website/Arizona State University

Yutu-2 has been working on the Moon for over 11 months, since January 3 of this year.

China’s Chang’e-4 mission, a rover-lander duo, touched down on the floor of the 110-mile-wide (186 kilometers) Von Kármán Crater, which lies within the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

CGTN reports that Yutu-2 will continue working on the Moon.

Earlier this month, China’s Chang’e-4 lander and the Yutu-2 rover ended their work for the 12th lunar day, switching to dormant mode for the lunar night, reported the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

At that time, the wheeled rover had chalked up over 1,132 feet (345 meters) of travel, noted CNSA.