"Does Not Meet Launch Conditions": China After Manned Moon Mission Delayed

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 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

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

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.

Shackleton crater on the Lunar South Pole. NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio How do you explore a place where the Sun never shines? China’s space programme will soon embark on one of the most innovative lunar exploration missions in recent years. We’ve known for nearly two decades that some form of water exists on