China's lunar rover sends home latest images on moon's far side

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China's Yutu-2 rover has traveled 1,613 meters on the mysterious far side of the moon as of Tuesday and sent home latest images that showed the lunar surface's diverse features.

Yutu-2, or Jade Rabbit-2 is part of the Chang'e-4 probe that landed on the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon on Jan 3, 2019. The rover has completed its work for the 71st lunar day, marking nearly five years and nine months of operation—far beyond its original 3-month design lifespan. It is currently the longest-working lunar rover in history. 

One of the photos beamed back to Earth on Sept 10 showed the rover left marks on the lunar surface that resembled a mooncake. Zuo Wei, deputy chief designer of the Chang'e-4 mission's ground application system, believed this could symbolize a celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important traditional holidays for Chinese people that falls on Tuesday this year. 

"I think maybe it's because the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and it wants to draw a mooncake pattern to echo the festive theme," she told CCTV. 

The collection of photos highlighted a variety of features of the moon's surface, including flat areas, hills, impact craters and large rocks. 

 In addition to Yutu-2, the Chang'e-3 probe and Chang'e-4 lander are also operational on the moon. While some scientific instruments continue to function and transmit data, researchers are also evaluating their long-term operational capabilities. 

"The moon-based optical telescope onboard Chang'e-3 lander is still operational, performing regular on-off cycles every month, though it is no longer conducting scientific observations. Chang'e-4 is also still active," said Zuo.

In addition, the country's Queqiao and Queqiao-2 relay satellites are working in the orbit around the moon. Queqiao mainly provides Earth-moon relay communications for Chang'e-4 and Yutu-2. After completing its mission for Chang'e-6, Queqiao-2 is currently conducting scientific observations in orbit while awaiting the arrival of Chang'e-7, scheduled for launch around 2026.

China's lunar rover sends home latest images on moon's far side

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned on Sunday that Tehran would view the United States and Israel's military bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" should Washington take military action against Iran.

At a parliamentary session convened to review an emergency proposal on assembly regulations, Qalibaf emphasized that, at this highly sensitive juncture, Iran must accurately and thoroughly identify the schemes of its adversaries.

Qalibaf said that Iran is currently confronting Israel and the United States simultaneously on four fronts: economic, cognitive, military, and counterterrorism. Of them, the economic warfare and the cognitive and psychological warfare began many years ago and have persisted to this day, growing increasingly complex and intense in recent years.

The remarks came as U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran, taking advantage of its nationwide unrest.

Protests have erupted in several Iranian cities since late December over the sharp fall of the rial and long-standing economic hardship. Iranian authorities have acknowledged the demonstrations and voiced willingness to address economic grievances, while warning against violence and vandalism.

Amid the ongoing protests, deadly clashes have been reported lately between police and what the government described as "rioters." However, no official death toll has been released.

Also on Sunday, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will address the country's economic situation and political environment in a televised interview later that day.

Iran swears to counterattack if attacked