China Chang'e-7 lunar mission set to launch in late 2026

China’s Chang’e-7 lunar exploration mission is set to launch in the second half of 2026. This mission aims to conduct environmental and resource surveys of the moon’s south pole and will involve international cooperation, as announced by the China Manned Space Agency on Saturday.

The Chang’e-7 mission will take a comprehensive approach to exploration, which includes orbiting, landing, roving, and hopping, according to Zhang Jingbo, the agency’s spokesperson. This information was shared during a press conference held prior to the launch of the Shenzhou-23 crewed mission, scheduled for Sunday evening from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

In April of this year, the Chang’e-7 lunar probe was delivered to the launch site in Hainan, a southern island province, where it is currently undergoing pre-launch preparations.

“All related work is progressing steadily as planned,” Zhang said.

In addition to the unmanned moon mission, China is targeting a crewed lunar landing by 2030.

Zhang stated that the country has combined its current crewed lunar landing initiatives and unmanned lunar exploration efforts into a single, unified moon exploration project.

Earlier this year, China successfully conducted a low-altitude demonstration and validation test of the Long March-10 rocket system, as well as a maximum dynamic-pressure abort flight test of the Mengzhou (Dream Vessel) crewed spacecraft system.

Zhang noted that these tests have established a strong base for developing a future reusable crewed space-to-Earth transportation system and for lunar landings.

The spokesperson also stated that China will proceed with key missions as scheduled, such as the technical verification flight of the Long March-10 and the inaugural flights of Mengzhou and the lunar lander Lanyue (Embracing The Moon).