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France 24
France 24
World
FRANCE 24

China abruptly delays ambitious Chang’e-7 mission to find water ice on moon

China Xinhua Xinhua News Agency
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, the combination of the Chang'e-7 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket is transferred vertically to the launching area at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in southern China's Hainan Province on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026.
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, the combination of the Chang'e-7 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket is transferred vertically to the launching area at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in southern China's Hainan Province on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. © Yang Guanyu, Xinhua via AP

China has postponed its Chang’e-7 lunar mission, which was due to launch in the coming days and search for water ice near the Moon’s south pole, a government agency said Saturday. Officials said the mission did not meet launch conditions, without providing further details.

China said on Sunday it was postponing its planned ambitious Chang’e-7 lunar mission, which was set to carry out explorations including searching for water ice on the moon.

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