Lunar rover Yutu 2 takes first steps

Scientists hope that investigations on moon's far side lead to breakthroughs

Lunar rover Yutu 2, or Jade Rabbit 2, left the first ever "footprint" from a human spacecraft on the far side of the moon late Thursday night. It had separated smoothly from the lander, China's Chang'e 4 probe, which set down on the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon earlier in the day.

"The far side of the moon has very unique features, and has never been explored in situ, so Chang'e 4 might bring us breakthrough findings," said Zou Yongliao, director of the lunar and deep space exploration division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.