Robot photographer clicks on far side of the moon

On the desolate surface of the moon, a shimmering spacecraft with a long robotic arm appears dazzling against the backdrop of the black sky, while the faint line of a rut is visible on the lunar soil.

When the China National Space Administration released the picture after China's Chang'e 6 probe collected the first samples from the far side of the moon in June, it went viral on Chinese social media platforms, arousing people's curiosity as to how the photo was taken. Chinese space engineers recently revealed the "secret photographer".

It was an autonomous, intelligent mini robot weighing less than 5 kilograms that was attached to the Chang'e 6 lander during the mission's journey to the moon, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, its developer.