This undated handout photo taken by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and released on Jun 4, 2024, shows a general view of craters on the surface of the moon captured by China's Chang’e-6 lunar probe. (Photo: Handout/China National Space Administration/AFP)
21 Aug 2026 09:35AM
BEIJING: China is poised to launch Chang'e-7, its most technologically complex lunar mission to date, in its search for frozen stores of water in permanently shadowed craters near the moon's south pole.The uncrewed mission, named after a mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, will feature the deployment of a robotic lander, rover, and "hopping" probe to one of the coldest places in the solar system. It will represent a major step towards Beijing's long-term goal of building a permanent human presence on the moon, with plans underway for a crewed lunar landing before 2030 and the setting up of a joint research station with Russia by 2035.
People look at a model of Chang'e 6, China’s sixth robotic lunar exploration mission during the Beijing Sci-Fi Carnival in Beijing on Mar 28, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Adek Berry)
WHERE WILL CHANG'E-7 GO?Next week, the Chang'e-7 spacecraft will lift off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan atop a Long March 5 rocket with payloads that also include an array of scientific instruments such as water analysers, cameras and radars.Once in orbit around the moon, the spacecraft will first examine potential landing sites at the south pole before a touchdown attempt.
