14 DAY TRIAL // Over the weekend, officials from the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) announced that the Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, rover had experienced a serious mechanical malfunction on the surface of the Moon. The robot was just getting ready for its second, 14-days lunar night.
During the two-week nights, temperatures at the location where the Chang'e-3 lander and the Yutu rover were deployed drop significantly, endangering the instruments and the spacecraft themselves. This is why both were supposed to enter a period of hibernation, Universe Today reports.
For Yutu, this involved retracting its solar panels and mast inside a special, heated compartment, that was supposed to close to provide extra protection. Reports from Chinese authorities indicate that one of the solar panels in the rovers failed to fold in on itself, thus preventing the compartment from closing.
If these reports are true, then this could mean big woes for Yutu, but especially for the instruments on its mast, such as the color cameras and the high-gain antenna it uses to communicate with Mission Control. These instruments can withstand temperatures of -40ºC(-40ºF), but no lower.
On the bright side, the fate of Yutu has yet to be determined, so we'll just have to wait and see.