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China hunts for lunar ice in one of solar system's coldest places
The mission will combine orbiting, landing, roving and hopping to survey the lunar south pole and test international instruments, officials said.
- On August 24, China will launch the Chang'e-7 mission from the Wenchang Space Launch Site atop a Long March 5 Y14 rocket, targeting the Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole to prospect for water ice.
- Searching for water ice is critical for future lunar bases, as the resource could provide drinking water, oxygen, and rocket propellant, reducing reliance on costly resupply missions from Earth.
- The mission features a novel hopping probe designed to descend into permanently shadowed craters, alongside international instruments including a 1.5-kilogram telescope developed by the University of Hong Kong and International Lunar Observatory Association .
- Multiple nations are competing to explore the lunar south pole, as NASA's Artemis program, India's Chandrayaan-3, and Russia's joint efforts with China aim to secure data on potential lunar water resources.
- Data gathered by this mission will support China's long-term plan for a permanently inhabited research station and a crewed lunar landing by 2030, while a follow-up Chang'e-8 mission is scheduled for 2028.
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China is launching Chang'e-7 to the South Pole of the Moon to search for ice against the backdrop of competition with the United States for satellite development.
·Kyiv, Ukraine
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A moon vehicle that doesn't drive, but jumps: China's Chang'e 7 starts to the South Pole – and is supposed to find something there that could change everything.
China is about to launch Chang的e-7, its most technologically complex lunar mission to date, in order to search for frozen water supplies in craters located in permanent shadow zones...
Coverage Details
Total News Sources30
Leaning Left5Leaning Right5Center13Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 22%
C 56%
R 22%
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