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

HAIKOU, China — China said Sunday that it was postponing its ambitious Chang’e-7 lunar mission, which was set to carry out explorations including searching for water ice on the moon.

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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.

The mission does not meet the launch conditions, the Manned Space Agency said in a brief statement, and “cannot take place during the planned window this year.”

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Chinese rocket explodes moments after liftoff

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The decision was made following a “comprehensive assessment,” the agency added, and was based on the principles of “prudence, reliability and absolute mission success.” It did not elaborate on the reasons behind the decision.

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Preparations at the Wenchang launch site have been carried out in recent weeks for the Chang’e-7 mission, the seventh in the Chang’e moon exploration program. It aimed at making breakthroughs in key technologies, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency.

It was set to explore permanently shadowed craters on the moon and conduct environmental and resource surveys of the lunar south pole, Xinhua said, citing the space agency.

Chang’e refers to a Chinese moon goddess. The Chang’e-6 probe returned to Earth in 2024 with rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon in a world first.

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