NASA moon orbiter spots Chang’e 4 lander in a crater

You’ll need to squint to spot it, but NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter managed to capture a look at the Chinese National Space Agency’s (CNSA) Chang’e 4 lander hanging out on the far side of the moon.

Chang’e 4 touched down on Jan. 3 in the Von Kármán crater. LRO took the image on Jan. 30.

“As LRO approached the crater from the east, it rolled 70° to the west to snap this spectacular view looking across the floor towards the west wall,” writes Mark Robinson for Arizona State University’s LRO Camera site.

The lander, which is about the size of a car, appears as a tiny bright spot. Chang’e 4 released its Jade Rabbit 2 lunar rover in early January, but the small machine is not visible in the LRO image.

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