China postpones Chang’e-7 lunar mission to the south pole, citing conditions for launch

The lack of explanation – or a new launch date – suggests critical challenges, not just bad weather.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again - space is hard. Another example, albeit lacking in the destructive displays of some past examples, is China’s recent delay of its Chang’e-7 lunar mission. The agency announced the mission would miss its late-August launch window with a very brief press release from the China National Space Administration and the China Manned Space Engineering Office. While that means a slight delay in China’s plan for the Moon, it’s only a matter of time before the cornerstone of the robotic lunar exploration program is back on the launch pad.

The liftoff of China’s Chang’e 7 mission to the moon has been delayed into 2027. Ars Technica reports that the Chinese are being vague about the exact reasons for the delay, only suggesting it is due to, adhering to "the principle of proceeding prudently and reliably, and ensuring absolute success." The Chinese mission includes an orbiter,...

China’s delay of a high-stakes mission to hunt for water ice near the moon’s south pole may slow its lunar ambitions, but is unlikely to change the bigger contest with the United States over who can build a lasting presence on the moon, according to space experts. No reason was given when Chang’e-7 was postponed until next year, just hours before Sunday night’s scheduled lift-off, though a major tropical storm was approaching the launch site. Chinese space authorities said only that the mission...

China called off its most ambitious Moon mission the day before it was due to fly. The announcement runs to a single sentence. Chang’e 7 does not meet the conditions for launch, the China Manned Space Agency said on Sunday. It cannot go ahead in this year’s scheduled window. It gave no reason. What the […] This story continues at The Next Web

The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has postponed the launch of the Chang'e-7 automated mission. The mission will not launch before the current launch window closes, although the agency has not specified the exact cause of the delay. Typhoon Narra, detected near the Wenchang Space Launch Site where the Long March-5 carrier rocket was scheduled to depart, is a likely factor. Other constraints affecting the timeline include flight trajectories, landing preparations, and illumination levels at the lunar south pole. Mission Objectives and Payload The Chang'e-7 complex consists of an orbital module, a landing module, a four-wheeled rover, and a hopping probe. The mission carries a total of 18 scientific instruments. The target landing site is the edge of the Shackleton crater at the Moon's south pole.

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 has delayed its ambitious Chang'e 7 lunar mission until at least 2027 after scrubbing an August 24 launch. Poor weather conditions were likely a factor, with China's Manned Space Agency (CMSA) saying the decision reflects the need for "absolute safety." Scientific American reports: China and the U.S. are in a race to send humans back to the moon, a feat that that U.S. accomplished in the 1960s and that has never been achieved by any other country. Chang'e 7 is to play to a crucial part in China's ambitions: the probe is designed to search for frozen water in the Shackleton Crater, a pit that spans some 21 kilometers (13 miles) and sits beside the lunar south pole. No spacecraft has ever landed in that region, which scientists consider to be among the likeliest places to find water on the moon. Locating water that can be used by humans is vital to establishing any long-term lunar presence. NASA and China are eyeing the region to establish a crewed base -- and because this real estate is so precious, it matters who gets their first. Ars Technica notes in its reporting that the delayed launch was "most likely" due to Typhoon Narra, "which has 45 mph winds (equivalent to a moderate Tropical Storm) and continues to meander around in the waterway separating Hainan Island, where the spaceport is located, and mainland China." As for why the next launch window won't open until next February or March? "It likely is a combination of factors, including sunlight conditions in polar landing zones as well as the mission plan that requires a 90-day lunar orbit reconnaissance before landing," reports Ars. There's also a possibility, albeit an unlikely one, that "some technical issue was discovered at the last minute with either the complex Chang'e 7 payload, or the rocket." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The search for frozen water is crucial to both China’s and NASA’s plans to establish permanent moon bases

China has postponed its Chang’e-7 lunar mission, which was due to launch in the coming days and search for water ice near the Moon’s south pole, a government agency said Saturday. Officials said the mission did not meet launch conditions, without providing further details.

China has delayed its ambitious ice-hunting Chang'e 7 mission to the moon's south pole due to a brewing storm near the launch site. A new target date has not been announced.

China’s historic Chang’e-7 mission to drill for ice near the moon’s south pole has been delayed, the country’s human space flight programme authority said on Sunday. The Chang’e-7 – carrying an orbiter, a lander, a rover and a hopper – was set to lift off aboard a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang spaceport in southern China as early as Monday. The China Manned Space Agency said on Sunday evening that the mission would be postponed following a comprehensive assessment to adhere to principles...

China planned Chang'e-7, its most complex lunar mission, to search for water ice near the Moon's south pole