Chang'e 7 by CNSA: status and timeline

Chang'e 7

South-pole robotic mission to hunt water ice and map resources. Four components: orbiter for mapping, lander, rover, and hopping probe for sampling permanently shadowed craters.

ProtoStage 2 of 5

Launch rescheduled to 2027. South-pole explorer for ice, volatiles and resources.

Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Rescheduled launch

Mission approval and design phase2021Complete.
Planned launch (original)Missed · Aug 2026Missed.
Rescheduled launchTarget 2027Not yet reached.
Lunar orbit insertion and south pole operationsTarget 2027Not yet reached.

Upcoming

2027Rescheduled launch (next)
2027Lunar orbit insertion and south pole operations
2027Launch window

Current obstacles

Extreme cold operationShadowed craters drop below -230°C. Instruments must survive cold, lubricants become brittle. Hopper battery powers operations for hours before depletion.
Shadowed crater communicationDeep interiors lack line of sight to Earth or orbiter. Relay systems and battery life are tightly constrained for the hopper.

Physics limits

Thermal balance in extreme coldAt -230°C, heat loss is fast and instruments can overcool. Balancing heaters with power is a tight constraint.
Cold regolith propertiesLunar soil at -230°C is much harder and more abrasive. Grippers and wheels fail; hopper legs must be engineered specially.

How it works

3 parts

Orbiter

High-res mapping from orbit

Cameras and spectrometers map south pole, identify ice deposits and landing sites at kilometer resolution.

Lander and rover

Surface exploration

Rover with panoramic cameras and radar explores site, maps surface composition and subsurface structure.

Hopping probe

Shadowed crater sampling

Hopper enters extreme craters wheeled rovers cannot reach, samples water and isotope composition directly.

Spec sheet

Spec	Chang'e 7
Landing target	Shackleton Crater rim, 88°48′S 123°24′E^R (reported)
Scientific payloads	21 total (6 international)^R (reported)
International partners	Bahrain, Egypt, Russia, Thailand, Italy^R (reported)
Launch vehicle	Long March 5^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

About CNSA

The team behind Chang'e 7

CNSA

China lunar exploration, Chang'e, Tianwen missions

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is China's government civil space agency, established in 1993. It manages the country's lunar and planetary exploration programs, including the Chang'e lunar missions and Tianwen deep space exploration projects.

China's civil space agency founded in 1993. Operates the world's most active lunar program, deploying hardware constantly.
Chang'e missions map south pole ice; Tianwen explores asteroids and comets for sample return.
Manages lunar, planetary, orbital and space station programs in parallel.

cnsa.gov.cn (opens cnsa.gov.cn)Company profile →

Founded: 199333 yrs
Headquarters: China
Status: Government
Valuation: government
Works in: SpaceflightMoon & deep space
Coverage: 2 programs · 0 updateschecked 10 Oct
Suppliers: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) (opens spacechina.com)

Spec

Chang'e 7

Landing target

Shackleton Crater rim, 88°48′S 123°24′E^R (reported)

Scientific payloads

21 total (6 international)^R (reported)

International partners

Bahrain, Egypt, Russia, Thailand, Italy^R (reported)

Launch vehicle

Long March 5^R (reported)