China's first lunar rover, which has conducted space walks and placed a space station in orbit in recent years, is experiencing mechanical problems, the Associated Press reported.
A rare setback for China's expanding space program, the six-wheeled Yutu vehicle began operating last month after making the first soft landing on the moon by a space probe in 37 years.
While looking for natural resources and sending back data, Yutu was designed to roam the lunar surface for three months along with its stationary lander, Chang'e 3.
According to the AP, the rover's mission has been a popular success for China's space program and has managed to attract more than 150,000 followers on its microblog.
On Saturday, it was posted on the microblog that repairs were underway and hope was not lost. "Sorry to make you all sad. The engineers and I haven't given up yet," the posting said.
Spokesman Qin Gang expressed hope that Yutu could "return to normal," the AP reported.
"The mechanical problems appeared to be related to the solar-powered probe's process for shutting down for the lunar night, which lasts more than two weeks. The temperature during that time drops to minus 180 degrees Celsius (minus 292 degrees Fahrenheit)," the AP reported. "The probe had survived its first lunar night shutdown, during which it is unable to generate energy from its solar panels and relies on a radioactive power source to keep its delicate sensors and other equipment intact."
At a speed of 200 meters (200 yards) per hour, the 300-pound rover was traversing a relatively flat part of the moon known as Sinus Iridum, or the Bay of Rainbows.
Designed to conduct scientific examinations for one year, the landing vehicle has already shut down for the lunar night, the AP reported.
One of the solar panels might have been blocked from folding inward due to lunar dust, online speculation claimed. This must have left the equipment exposed to the dangerously low temperatures.
It won't be known if the probe is able to function again until after the two-week break, the AP reported.
Since the country launched its first manned spacecraft in 2003, China's space program has made steady progress. It has launched a lunar orbiter, conducted space walks, and put into orbit a prototype space station, to be replaced by a permanent station at the end of the decade.
The space program has been a source of great national pride for China as it has increasingly sought to connect with the public through social media and educational outreach.
China's second woman in space, Wang Yaping, conducted China's first space classroom to students nationwide from the prototype space station, the Tiangong.
Yutu, or "Jade Rabbit," is named after a mythological Chinese animal said to live on the moon, the AP reported.
