Key facts
- China's Chang'e-7 lunar mission launch has been postponed to 2027.
- The mission was originally scheduled to launch this year from the Wenchang Space Launch Site.
- The delay is attributed to the need for 'absolute success' and a comprehensive assessment.
- The mission aims to explore the lunar south pole and search for water ice.
China's highly anticipated Chang'e-7 lunar exploration mission has been postponed to 2027, according to an announcement from the nation's Manned Space Agency. The agency stated that the mission could not proceed during its planned launch window this year due to the need for 'absolute success' and a comprehensive assessment. Preparations had been underway at the Wenchang launch site for the mission, which is the seventh in the Chang'e lunar exploration program. The mission aims to make breakthroughs in key technologies and explore permanently shadowed craters on the moon, conducting environmental and resource surveys of the lunar south pole. The Chang'e-6 probe previously returned to Earth in 2024 with rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon in a world first.