{"id":4283,"date":"2026-08-21T22:37:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T22:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=4283"},"modified":"2026-08-21T22:37:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T22:37:26","slug":"china-is-about-to-launch-an-ambitious-moon-mission-to-hunt-for-ice-in-one-of-the-solar-systems-coldest-places","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=4283","title":{"rendered":"China is about to launch an ambitious moon mission to hunt for ice in one of the solar system\u2019s coldest places"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

China is poised to launch Chang\u2019e-7, its most technologically complex lunar mission to date, \u200bin its search for frozen stores of water in permanently shadowed craters near the moon\u2019s south pole.<\/p>\n

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The uncrewed mission, named after a mythical Chinese \u200cgoddess of the moon, will feature the deployment of a robotic lander, rover, and \u201chopping\u201d probe to one of the coldest places in the solar system.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

It will represent a major step towards Beijing\u2019s long-term goal of building a permanent human presence on the moon, with plans underway for a crewed lunar landing before 2030 and the setting up of a joint research station with Russia by 2035.<\/p>\n

Where will Chang\u2019e-7 go?<\/h2>\n

Next week, the \u200bChang\u2019e-7 spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, atop a Long March 5 rocket with payloads \u200bthat also include an array of scientific instruments such as water analyzers, cameras and radars.<\/p>\n

Once in orbit around the moon, the \u2060spacecraft will first examine potential landing sites at the south pole before a touchdown attempt.<\/p>\n

One candidate location is near the rim of the Shackleton crater, a permanently shadowed depression. \u200bThe jagged rim of the crater, however, is almost continually illuminated by sunlight.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

China has not publicly disclosed a timeline for the Chang\u2019e-7 mission, but space watchers estimate a landing attempt around \u200bNovember.<\/p>\n

After touchdown, the rover and hopper will start surveying the surface.<\/p>\n

The mission\u2019s duration remains unknown.<\/p>\n

Why the south pole?<\/h2>\n

Craters near the moon\u2019s south pole have not seen sunlight in billions of years. As such, scientists think they could act as deep freezers capable of preserving ancient water and volatile organic compounds.<\/p>\n

Temperatures can drop to as low as minus 203 degrees Celsius (minus 334 Fahrenheit) in some of this \u200bshadowed terrain, according to NASA.<\/p>\n

Finding accessible water is crucial for future lunar bases as it could provide drinking water, oxygen for astronauts, and even serve as raw rocket \u200bpropellant, reducing the need for costly resupply missions from Earth.<\/p>\n

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Unlike most areas of the moon, where one lunar night is as long as 14 Earth days, the high peaks and crater rims \u200cnear the \u2060south pole receive near-constant sunlight and would serve as an ideal location for a lunar outpost with a relatively stable thermal climate and continuous supply of solar power.<\/p>\n

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The United States, India and Russia have also set their targets on the moon\u2019s south pole. Only India landed nearby with its Chandrayaan-3 in 2023.<\/p>\n

Over the coming years, NASA\u2019s VIPER rover, the European Space Agency\u2019s PROSPECT drilling package, and the Japan-India LUPEX rover are expected to arrive at the moon\u2019s south pole, as the race to find water sources intensifies.<\/p>\n

A hopping robot? In the darkness?<\/h2>\n

One challenge for traditional \u200bwheeled rovers is the steepness of lunar crater \u2060rims. To descend to the pitch-black floor of a crater, Chang\u2019e-7 will deploy a novel hopping probe.<\/p>\n

The hopper, equipped with a water molecule analyzer, will use its small thrusters to fly into shadowed craters. It will then land on six articulated legs, before hopping back to sunlit rims \u200bto recharge.<\/p>\n

Technical details about the hopper\u2019s weight, engine performance, or flight range remain unknown.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

China\u2019s state news agency Xinhua has reported that \u200bthe vehicle is expected \u2060to conduct at least three hops during the mission.<\/p>\n

Who is China\u2019s lunar competitor?<\/h2>\n

The data collected by Chang\u2019e-7 and its successor Chang\u2019e-8, planned for around 2029, will be crucial in China\u2019s plan for a crewed landing by 2030 as the two missions are meant to lay the groundwork for a permanently inhabited research station.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s ambition to put humans on the moon and \u2060build an \u200boutpost near the south pole coincides with NASA\u2019s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the \u200bmoon by 2028 and eventually establish a sustained human presence there.<\/p>\n

In April, NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission completed a 10-day crewed lunar flyby. The four astronauts travelled farther into space than any humans in history, reaching a record \u200bdistance of 252,756 miles from Earth before safely returning home.<\/p>\n

Read more Harry and Meghan tried to make it in Hollywood. It was a royal setback.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

China is poised to launch Chang\u2019e-7, its most technologically complex lunar mission to date, \u200bin search of frozen water near the moon\u2019s south pole.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-space"],"yoast_head":"\nChina is about to launch an ambitious moon mission to hunt for ice in one of the solar system\u2019s coldest places - Trusted Moving Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=4283\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"China is about to launch an ambitious moon mission to hunt for ice in one of the solar system\u2019s coldest places - 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