Chandrayaan 3 and Yutu 2: India and China's lunar rovers

India's Chandrayaan 3 mission has achieved a significant milestone with the successful deployment of its Pragyan rover on the lunar surface, making it the only active rover on the Moon apart from China's Yutu 2 rover from the Chang'e 4 mission. In this article, we'll explore the current status of these two rovers and their approximate distances from each other.

Chandrayaan 3's Pragyan Rover

Chandrayaan 3's Pragyan rover, after its historic touchdown on the Moon's south pole, has started its mission. While there have been limited updates about its activities, the successful deployment marks a crucial step in India's lunar exploration.

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China's Yutu 2 Rover

China's Yutu 2 rover, also known as Jade Rabbit, is the only other active rover on the Moon. However, there have been few recent updates about its current status. Bloomberg reported that the rover is still operational and continues to traverse the lunar surface. Yutu 2 faces a unique challenge on the Moon – it must power down during the two-week lunar night when temperatures drop drastically to below minus 170 degrees Celsius.

The Distance Between Pragyan and Yutu 2

The approximate distance between India's Pragyan rover and China's Yutu 2 rover can be calculated based on their respective landing sites. 

China's Chang'e 4 mission, which included the Yutu 2 rover, made a historic landing on the far side of the Moon. The exact landing coordinates were 45.4561 degrees south latitude and 177.5885 degrees east longitude, as confirmed by NASA. On the other hand, Chandrayaan 3's Vikram lander successfully touched down near the Moon's south pole, with precise landing coordinates of 69.367621 degrees south latitude and 32.348126 degrees east longitude, as reported by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

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In summary, Chandrayaan 3's Pragyan rover and China's Yutu 2 rover are currently the only active rovers on the Moon. While there have been limited updates on Yutu 2's activities, both rovers represent significant achievements in lunar exploration. The approximate distance between them can be calculated based on their respective landing site coordinates, but the lunar surface's topography may impact their actual travel distance.