China says unmanned moon mission delayed over 'launch conditions'

A Jielong-3 carrier rocket carrying two satellites, the Dongfang Huiyan Hyperspectral 01 and 02, lifts off from a launch ship off the coast of Haiyang in eastern China's Shandong province on Aug 5, 2026. (Photo: CN-STR/AFP) 24 Aug 2026 02:06AM (Updated: 24 Aug 2026 02:10AM) BEIJING: China's manned space agency said on Sunday (Aug 23) it is delaying a research moonmission that is part of Beijing's efforts to land a crew there by 2030, less than two weeks after a rare launch failure.The agency said after a "comprehensive assessment" the mission, which involved sending the Chang'e-7 lunar probe on a Long March 5 carrier rocket, "does not meet launch conditions and cannot take place during the planned window this year".The decision to delay was "based on the principle of prudence, reliability