Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

China's Chang'e 7 to Explore Moon's South Pole in 2026

1/7/2026

50 6

Summary

Story summary

China plans to launch the Chang'e 7 lunar mission in late 2026 to explore the Moon's south pole and support the ILRS.
It will deploy an orbiter, lander, rover, and a mini-hopper with 18 instruments to study water ice and other resources.
The mission seeks remote sensing and in-situ measurements of water ice near Shackleton Crater as part of China's 2030 crewed landing plan and payloads from Russia and Italy.

1 of 1

Story summary

China plans to launch the Chang'e 7 lunar mission in late 2026 to explore the Moon's south pole and support the ILRS.
It will deploy an orbiter, lander, rover, and a mini-hopper with 18 instruments to study water ice and other resources.
The mission seeks remote sensing and in-situ measurements of water ice near Shackleton Crater as part of China's 2030 crewed landing plan and payloads from Russia and Italy.