BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China's Chang'e-4 probe has survived 500 Earth days on the far side of the moon while conducting a scientific exploration of the virgin territory.

The lander and rover of the Chang'e-4 probe have resumed work for the 18th lunar day on the far side of the moon after "sleeping" during the extremely cold night.

The lander woke up at 3:25 a.m. Sunday (Beijing time), and the rover awoke at 11:53 a.m. Saturday. Both are in normal working order, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The Chang'e-4 probe, launched on Dec. 8, 2018, made the first-ever soft landing on the Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon on Jan. 3, 2019.

A lunar day equals 14 days on Earth, and a lunar night is the same length. The Chang'e-4 probe switches to dormant mode during the lunar night due to the lack of solar power.