China delays ambitious Chang'e 7 moon mission until 2027

The search for frozen water is crucial to both China and NASA's plans to establish permanent moon bases

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".

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

The Chang’e-7 spacecraft was originally set to lift off in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on China’s southern Hainan island.

China's space agency on Sunday postponed the launch of an ambitious mission to search the south pole of the moon for ice due to poor weather.

China's mission was planned as the country vies with the U.S. to land astronauts on the moon and secure a near-permanent presence on its surface.

China postpones launch of unprecedented water-hunting moon mission amid space race  CNN

"The Chang’e 7 mission does not meet the conditions for launch."

The Chang’e-7 spacecraft was originally set to lift off in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch Site.

China abruptly postpones ambitious Chang’e-7 lunar mission launch  Toronto Star

China has postponed its planned ambitious Chang’e-7 lunar mission

China has postponed its planned ambitious Chang’e-7 lunar mission

China abruptly postpones ambitious Chang’e-7 lunar mission launch  AP News

China postpones Chang'e-7 lunar mission  Reuters

China’s historic Chang’e-7 mission to drill for ice near the moon’s south pole has been delayed, the country’s human space flight programme authority said on Sunday. The Chang’e-7 – carrying an orbiter, a lander, rover and hopper – was set to lift off aboard a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang spaceport in southern

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Beijing’s rocket program, once hidden away in remote deserts, enters the public sphere through pop culture

People across the region should watch out on these routes as roadworks continue.

The Chang'e-7 seeks to find out more about the water trapped within the moon's shadowed craters.

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Thursday it plans to launch a space probe later this year on a world-first mission to col

China's ambitious space program will take it to the moon as soon as next month, and it's looking for water.