China's mission to moon inspires sale of DIY moon buggies on Taobao

As excitement over China’s so far successful first lunar probe mission spreads across the country, a DIY moon buggy has been listed on Taobao, China’s ebay-like online mall, for the price of 2,250 yuan (HK$2,866) or about one fifteenth of the price of a cheap car.

“No matter if you are a female artist, a man of literature, a nerdy, tech-geek homeboy, or even a primary school student, you just need to try, anyone can make it”, reads the seller’s pitch. More than 40 people have viewed the item but none have yet been sold.

The seller, a 25 year old man named Mo Wei, claims the six-wheeled rover can handle all terrain, including off-road and cross-country. Each wheel is propelled by its own electronics. Solar panels can be added for terrestrial use.

“I have years of technical and mechanical experience and have previously participated in a famous university moon rover project, I have a deep understanding of a moon rover’s all-terrain design and have completely reproduced the Jade Rabbit in style and structure. As you build the moon rover yourself you can learn about the technology in a relaxed way”, boasts the product description.

The DIY rover, made by Beijing-based Mo, is named Yutu (Jade Rabbit), the same name as the real life rover that is planned to land on the moon next weekend. Mo works in mechanic and electronic research and development. He built his Yutu with three colleagues over three days.

“We spent a lot of time researching the machinery and structure and believe we have replicated it completely. Not to brag but this rover could be enlarged and remodelled to be a very powerful off-road vehicle”, said Mo.