China Delays Chang’e 7 to 2027 as Typhoon Narra Scrubs Aug. 24 Moon Launch
Updated
Updated · Scientific American · Aug 24
China Delays Chang’e 7 to 2027 as Typhoon Narra Scrubs Aug. 24 Moon Launch
3 articles · Updated · Scientific American · Aug 24
Summary
China scrubbed Chang’e 7’s planned Aug. 24 launch on Sunday evening and pushed the lunar south-pole mission back until at least 2027, the CMSA said.
Typhoon Narra-linked weather at the Wenchang launch site was the likely trigger, with the agency saying the decision followed extensive review and prioritized “absolute safety.”
Chang’e 7 is designed to search for frozen water in the 21-kilometer Shackleton Crater near the moon’s south pole, a region no spacecraft has yet landed in and a key target for future lunar bases.
The delay lands in a broader U.S.-China race for the pole: China aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030 and start its Russia-backed lunar base in 2031, while NASA’s next crewed landing is tentatively set for early 2028.