Chinese lander spots cube-shaped ‘mystery hut’ on the dark side of the moon

The lander is currently driving toward the object for a closer look

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The Chinese Yutu-2lunar roverjust spotted a cube-shaped “mystery hut” along the horizon as it explores the far side of the moon and is currently driving over to investigate.

While working in the moon’s Von Kármán crater in November, according toSpace, the rover caught sight of the striking break in the horizon about 80 meters away to the north, and has since been dubbed 神秘小屋, which translates to “mystery house” or “mystery hut”.

The sighting was first reported on the lander’s “diary” operated by the Chinese language science serviceOur Space, which is affiliated with the China National Space Administration (CSNA).

Ah. We have an update from Yutu-2 on the lunar far side, including an image of a cubic shape on the northern horizon ~80m away from the rover in Von Kármán crater. Referred to as “神秘小屋” (“mystery house”), the next 2-3 lunar days will be spent getting closer to check it out. pic.twitter.com/LWPZoWN05IDecember 3, 2021

According to the mission diary, the rover is heading over to the object to investigate, which scientists suspect is a boulder that was kicked up during an impact event at some point.

Piloting a rover on the lunar surface isn’t easy, though, so it will take two to three months to get close enough to the object to get a better look. The rover was launched fromChina’s Chang’e-4 lunar landerin 2019 after the lander performed the first ever soft landing on the far side of the moon.

Analysis: China’s space program continues to make strides

WhileSpaceXand theongoing tusslebetween the United States and Russia over the International Space Station tend to dominate the news, China’s space program is making major advances.

In addition to its lunar lander,China put a rover on Mars this year, less than a decade after it’s first successful lunar lander (Chang’e-3) touched down in 2013. China is also building itsTiangong space stationin Low Earth Orbit, which it expects to complete by the end of 2022.

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What’s more, China says it plans toestablish a research station on the moonby 2029. Given its rapid advances in space exploration, the makings of a major space race between the US and China appears to be in the offing.

John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY.

Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.

You can find him online on Threads @johnloeffler.

Currently playing: Baldur’s Gate 3 (just like everyone else).

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