China's lunar rover Yutu has woken up after its second period of dormancy was haunted by mechanical problems, though engineers are still striving to solve the abnormality.

"Yutu has been awake and we have received signals from it," Pei Zhaoyu, spokesman for China's lunar exploration program, said on Thursday. "The rover has resumed the condition it was in before the second dormancy, but problems still remain."

Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, was named after the pet of a lunar goddess in ancient Chinese mythology. It was designed to roam the lunar surface to survey the moon's geological structure and surface substances and look for natural resources. It was expected to work on the moon for at least three months after it landed in mid-December.