Chang’e-7 will conduct moon south pole environment resource surveys

China’s lunar exploration mission Chang’e-7, which is scheduled for launch later this year, will conduct environmental and resource surveys of the Moon’s south pole, the China Manned Space Agency said on Saturday.

The mission will employ a comprehensive exploration approach encompassing orbiting, landing, roving and hopping, Chinese official media quoted Zhang Jingbo, the agency’s spokesperson, as saying. The robotic mission, targeting the Moon’s south pole, aims to search for water ice and assess the region for a future research base.

In April, the Chang’e-7 lunar probe was delivered to the launch site in the southern island province of Hainan, where it is undergoing pre-launch preparations.  All related work is progressing steadily as planned, Zhang said. In 2023, India became the first country to land near the little-explored lunar south pole region when its Chandrayaan-3’s lander, carrying the Pragyaan rover, successfully landed there.