Chang’e-7 Lunar Mission

Chang'e-7, is an unmanned lunar mission under the fourth phase of China’s Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), designed to conduct a comprehensive scientific survey of the Moon’s south pole. The mission is regarded as China’s most ambitious unmanned lunar mission to date.^【1】

On 19 August 2026, the Chang'e-7 spacecraft and its Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket were vertically transported to the launch pad at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan Province. However, adverse weather conditions caused by the Nara Tropical Low-Pressure System over the Gulf of Tonkin indefinitely postponed the launch.^【2】 On 23 August 2026, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced that the spacecraft did not meet launch conditions and that the launch would not occur within the planned timeframe for 2026.^【3】 The delay was attributed to the precise planetary alignment required between Earth and the Moon.

^{Ayın Topografi Haritası (}NASA⁾

The main scientific objectives of the Chang'e-7 mission are as follows:

• Direct confirmation of water ice sources: To detect water molecules, hydrogen-containing elements, and volatile compounds in the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), and to determine their abundance, distribution, and origin.^【4】
• Topography, composition, and structure analysis: To create a high-precision geological profile and map the topography and shallow subsurface structures of the Moon’s south pole.^【5】
• Internal structure and magnetic fields: To detect lunar quakes and measure the Moon’s internal properties, regional magnetic field gradients, and thermal characteristics.^【6】
• Space environment: To investigate plasma, dust, and electromagnetic fields on the lunar surface and conduct observations from the Moon toward Earth’s magnetotail and plasma sphere.^【7】

The Chang'e-7 mission employs a “four-in-one” mission architecture consisting of four distinct modules:

• Orbiter: High-resolution remote sensing mapping of the landing region is conducted approximately two Earth months before landing. After landing, it assists in determining the precise positions of surface modules, enables long-term observations, and provides a backup communication link with Earth.^【8】
• Lander: A high-precision soft landing is executed, followed by in-situ measurements and scientific investigations.^【9】
• Surface Mobility: The orbiter and surface rover use sunlight tracking data to perform long-range autonomous exploration in sunlit areas to analyze soil composition.^【10】
• Leap/Jump: A mini probe propelled by thrusters is deployed to fly directly into permanently shadowed craters to conduct in-situ drilling and analysis of water ice.^【11】

^{Dünyanın Ultraviole Fotoğrafı (}NASA⁾

The mission is equipped with 18 scientific payloads distributed across its platforms:^【12】

• Relay Satellite (3 payloads): Lunar Orbit VLBI Experiment (LOVEX), Grid-Based Energetic Neuronal Imager (GENA), and Extreme Ultraviolet Camera (EUC).
• Orbiter Satellite (5 payloads): High-Resolution Stereo Mapping Camera (HRSMC), Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (MSAR), Wide-Band Infrared Spectral Mineral Imager Analyzer (WISMIA), Lunar Neutron Gamma Spectrometer (LNGS), and Lunar Orbit Magnetometer (LOM).
• Lander (4 payloads): Lunar Seismograph (LS), Lunar Surface Environment Detection System (LSEDS), Landing Camera (LC), and Topography Camera (TC).
• Rover (5 payloads): Panoramic Camera (PC), Rover Magnetometer (RM), Lunar Raman Spectrometer (LRS), Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR), and In-Situ Measurement System for Volatiles (IsMSV).
• Mini Flying Probe (1 payload): Lunar Soil Water Molecule Analyzer (LSWMA), specifically designed to measure H2O molecule content and hydrogen isotopes via drilling.