China Postpones Launch of Another Lunar Probe

China has postponed the planned Chang'e-7 lunar mission, which was scheduled to launch in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan Island. A new launch date has not yet been announced.

Following a "comprehensive assessment", the mission does not meet the conditions for launch and will therefore not take place during this year's planned launch window, Chinese authorities said. The specific reason for the postponement has not been disclosed.

Chang'e-7 was to explore the moon's south pole region, including craters that are permanently in shadow. One of its main objectives was to search for frozen water reserves and survey local resources and the environment.

This is the seventh mission of China's Chang'e program. The previous probe, Chang'e-6, returned to Earth in 2024 with rock and soil samples from the far side of the Moon, a feat China was the first country to achieve.

(AP, Reuters, sab)