But Yutu Is Not 100 Percent Operational, Officials Say

China's Yutu moon rover has apparently survived the frigid lunar night, but is not quite ready to get back to work, according to the Chinese space agency.

The rover reportedly woke up and sent a message to Earth this week, which was something of a surprise to the Chinese space agency. Spaceflight Now reports that officials say the rover is still malfunctioning.

Ground controllers confirmed that they had received signals from Yutu, or "Jade Rabbit", last Wednesday, two days after it was scheduled to wake up after the lunar night. The rover had suffered a mechanical problem just before night fell January 25, leading some at the Chinese space agency to be concerned that it might not survive the -290 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures it would experience before sunrise on the Moon.

The Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that Pei Zhaoyu, a spokesman with the Chinese lunar program, said that now that they know that the rover survived the night, it "stands a chance of being saved."

The mission was planned to last three months, and the rover touched down on December 14, 2013.

(Image of Yutu rover captured from CCTV)

FMI: www.cnsa.gov.cn/n615709/cindex.html