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Mission Scrubbed

China postpones Chang'e-7 lunar south pole mission, missing its 2026 launch window

Chang'e-7, China's orbiter, lander, rover and hopper bound for the rim of Shackleton crater at the lunar south pole, was due to launch on a Long March 5 from Wenchang around Aug. 24, 2026. Chinese officials said the mission cannot fly within this year's launch window, with Tropical Storm Narra cited as the cause. No new date has been set; reports suggest it could slip to 2027.

Why it matters

Chang'e-7 is the scout for China's crewed landing by 2030 and the International Lunar Research Station: it was to hunt water ice in permanently shadowed craters with a hopper. A slip of a year or so compresses that schedule and leaves the south pole to commercial US landers a little longer.

The numbers

science payloads (6 international)
21
Source

Details

Mission

Vehicle
Long March 5 (Y14)
Landing site
Shackleton crater rim, lunar south pole
Launch site
Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, Hainan

Science

Target
moon
Significance
Water-ice survey of the south pole; groundwork for crewed landings and ILRS

Coverage

2 reports

  1. starlust.org ·

    China postpones its ambitious Chang'e-7 mission to the Moon's South Pole, possibly until 2027

    Officials said Chang'e-7 can't launch within this year's window; Thailand's NARIT, which built an instrument, blamed Tropical Storm Narra. No new date yet.

  2. space.com ·

    China's Chang'e 7 moon probe will launch this weekend on the most ambitious lunar mission in history

    Chang'e-7's orbiter, lander, rover and hopper were set to launch on a Long March 5 from Wenchang toward Shackleton crater; an update said bad weather pushed the launch back, possibly to 2027.

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