China Postpones Chang'e-7 Lunar Mission to Search for Water Ice at South Pole

China has postponed its Chang'e-7 robotic lunar mission, which was scheduled to launch in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan island.

The China Manned Space Agency said on Sunday that after comprehensive assessment the mission cannot take place during the planned window this year. The decision follows the principles of prudence, reliability and absolute mission success.

Chang'e-7 is designed to land near the lunar south pole and search for water ice in permanently shadowed craters, including the Shackleton Crater. No spacecraft has previously landed in that region.

A Long March 5 rocket carrying the probe had been moved to the launch tower earlier in the week. The agency had indicated the launch would occur in due course in the coming days before the postponement.

Earth-Moon transfer windows open roughly once a month, but the south-pole destination imposes stricter constraints that limit usable opportunities to one or two per year. The delay therefore pushes the mission into 2027 at the earliest.

Chang'e-7 forms part of China's broader lunar exploration program. Chang'e-6 returned samples from the far side of the Moon in 2024. The south-pole mission is intended to advance key technologies and resource surveys that support longer-term ambitions, including a possible crewed presence.

The agency did not provide further technical details on the specific conditions that were not met. Weather had been cited in some early reports, but the official statement focused on the overall assessment.

Preparations at Wenchang had been under way for weeks. The postponement represents a setback for the timeline of China's lunar south-pole exploration but prioritises the safety standards the agency has publicly emphasised.