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China has postponed the launch of its much-anticipated robotic Chang’e-7 mission, which aims to search for water ice at the Moon’s south pole.
The China Manned Space Engineering Office said the mission could not be launched within the originally scheduled timeframe this year.
In a statement carried by Chinese state media, the office said the spacecraft currently does not meet the conditions required for launch.
The decision to postpone the mission was made after an assessment based on the principles of caution, reliability and ensuring the mission’s complete success.
The Chang’e-7 mission was scheduled to launch from Hainan province in southern China on Sunday evening or Monday morning Beijing time. China has not officially announced a new launch date.
Wiphu Rujopakharn, executive director of Thailand’s National Astronomical Research Institute (NARIT), told CNN that the mission could now be launched next year.
Two possible launch windows are being considered, one in spring and another around mid-summer.
NARIT is one of seven international partners in the Chang’e-7 mission and has prepared scientific instruments for it.
According to Rujopakharn, the delay could be prolonged because of the complex and unprecedented nature of Chang’e-7. The spacecraft must enter a highly precise orbit to land at a suitable location near the Moon’s south pole.
“No one has ever attempted to land on the rim of a crater at the lunar south pole. It is extremely difficult,” he said.
He added that suitable launch windows for such a mission are also limited each year.
Rujopakharn believes weather was initially the main reason for the delay, particularly unfavourable high-altitude winds as a weather system passed over southern China. However, he said other factors could also be involved.
Mission to Search for Water
One of Chang’e-7’s main objectives is to directly investigate water on the Moon. Under the plan, a specialised robotic “hopper” will be deployed from the lander to reach craters near the lunar south pole and drill for ice.
If successful, Chang’e-7 could become the first spacecraft to directly analyse the presence of water on the Moon.
The United States has already detected signs of water ice on the Moon using remote sensors aboard orbiting satellites and has attempted to estimate its quantity. However, no mission has yet successfully drilled directly for ice there.
Both the United States and China plan to establish permanent infrastructure near the lunar south pole in the future. Identifying and accessing water resources in the region is therefore considered crucial for future lunar exploration.
In 2025, Texas-based Intuitive Machines sent a drill to the Moon to search for water. However, the spacecraft tipped over while landing in the challenging terrain near the south pole, preventing it from completing its mission.
The delay to Chang’e-7 could further intensify the space competition between the United States and China over the lunar south pole.
Several US spacecraft are planned for the same region over the next year. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology could send its Griffin lander to the lunar south pole by the end of 2026.
Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin is also planning to send up to two robotic landers to the Moon next year. One of them could carry NASA’s VIPER rover, which was specifically designed to search for water ice and other resources on the Moon.
Why Lunar Water Matters
Scientists believe large quantities of water could be trapped as ice near the lunar south pole. This possibility has made the region a major focus of international space competition.
If sufficient water is found, it could become a valuable resource for long-term space missions and future lunar bases. Ice could be processed into drinking water and oxygen for breathing, while its components could potentially be used to produce rocket fuel.
However, it remains uncertain how much ice is actually available in usable quantities.
James Head, an emeritus professor at Brown University who worked on NASA’s Apollo lunar programme, said Chang’e-7 could make significant progress in answering this question and help make future exploration experiments more targeted.
Yuki Chien, a lunar geologist at the University of Hong Kong, said Chang’e-7 marks a transition in China’s lunar programme from exploration towards the utilisation of lunar resources.
He said China and other countries are moving away from the concept of relying entirely on Earth-based resources for lunar exploration and are increasingly looking towards using the Moon’s own resources to conduct missions more sustainably.
