China is preparing to launch the Chang’e-7 mission to the Moon’s south pole in an effort to obtain direct measurements of the presence of frozen water and volatiles inside craters that sunlight cannot reach. A Long March 5 rocket is scheduled to carry the mission from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Hainan Island, with the launch window opening at around 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 23, or 0000 UTC on August 24, according to airspace-closure notices.
The rocket was transported to the launch pad on August 19, while the spacecraft arrived at Wenchang by air in April, and the rocket assigned to the mission, bearing the designation Y14, arrived by sea in July. Final preparations include functional inspections, integrated tests, and propellant loading, according to a statement issued by the China Manned Space Engineering Office on August 19.
A Multi-Vehicle Mission to a Challenging Region
The Long March 5 will place the Chang’e-7 stack on a trajectory toward the Moon. It consists of an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a hopping vehicle capable of making short flights above the surface. The vehicles are expected to enter an initial lunar orbit about five days after launch, after which the orbiter will begin imaging potential landing sites near the south pole.
Chinese authorities have not yet set a landing date, and it may occur months after orbital insertion. Site selection is likely to focus on the “peak near Shackleton,” associated with the large Shackleton Crater, while taking into account surface terrain, the flatness and relative elevation of landing areas, which would allow longer periods of sunlight, as well as their proximity to permanently shadowed regions that may contain volatiles.
The southern lunar environment makes precise landing a major challenge: the Sun rises no more than a few degrees above the horizon there, and even small topographic features can cast shadows extending tens of meters. According to a technical paper published in 2023, suitable illuminated landing areas may be no more than about 100 meters wide, while the spacecraft is targeting a landing area within a margin of error of less than 100 meters.
Drilling and Analyzing Samples from Dark Craters
The hopping vehicle will enter shadowed craters through a series of flights, then use its legs to move away from the landing site and potential sources of contamination. The vehicle carries the Lunar Water Molecule Analyzer (LUWA), which examines the surface using a laser-based spectrometer from a distance of 30 to 80 centimeters, searching for frost and indications of possible water.
It will then use a drill to extract a sample from a depth of approximately one meter, where “dirty ice” is believed to potentially exist beneath the surface. The sample, weighing no more than one gram, will be placed in a sealed heating chamber initially maintained below minus 20 degrees Celsius, then heated to more than 200 degrees Celsius to release water and volatiles. Mass spectrometers and a laser spectrometer will measure the quantity of water and the signature of its hydrogen isotopes, which could help determine whether the ice originated from the solar wind, comets, or asteroids.
Why Does This Mission Matter?
Previous measurements of water and volatiles at the Moon’s south pole have still relied primarily on remote sensing, without direct in-situ measurements or samples. Chang’e-7 may therefore clarify not only whether water is present, but also its quantity, distribution, and accessibility—information directly related to the prospects for future human exploration.
The orbiter, lander, and rover, along with the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, carry instruments including a seismometer, panoramic and topographic imaging cameras, magnetometers, spectrometers, and ground-penetrating radar. Katherine Joy, a professor of lunar and planetary sciences at the University of Manchester, believes that the mission’s multiple components could provide a substantial scientific return if it succeeds in landing near Shackleton Crater.
The mission’s results will be compared with data from other missions expected in the region, including NASA’s VIPER rover, whose launch and landing are targeted for no earlier than 2027 aboard Blue Origin’s Blue Moon vehicle, as well as the European Space Agency’s PROSPECT drilling instrument, whose flight assignment has not yet been finalized.
Chang’e-7 represents a step in a Chinese series that began in 2007 and has included orbiters, landers, and rovers, as well as the Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 sample-return missions in 2020 and 2024. China plans to launch Chang’e-8 around 2029 to test the in-situ use of lunar resources, and aims to land the first Chinese astronauts on the Moon before 2030, as part of a path toward the International Lunar Research Station.