China’s Chang’e 6 mission to the moon’s far side included a small mini rover in addition to the main lander.
After the Chang’e 6 lander touched down successfully in the Apollo crater region of the South Pole-Aitken basin, the mini rover detached autonomously from the lander.
The rover drove a short distance away from the lander and used its onboard cameras to snap an iconic photo of the lander and its solar arrays/legs/sampling arm. It selected an optimal angle and composition for the photo.
At around 5 kg, the Chang’e 6 mini rover was much smaller than China’s previous Yutu lunar rovers which weighed around 140 kg. However, it had significantly enhanced autonomous intelligence and photo capabilities.
Taking photos of the lander after deployment demonstrated the rover’s autonomous functions and was a technological achievement for China’s deep space exploration capabilities.
Thesuccessful retrieval and transmission of photos from the moon’s permanently shadowed far side also relied on China’s Queqiao 2 relay satellite in lunar orbit.
China has not provided details but the rover and lander likely ceased operations once the ascent vehicle lifted off with the collected lunar samples.
Source: Space
