Chang'e 7 (orbiter + lander + rover + mini-flying probe)

Mission specifications

Operator

CNSA

Prime contractor

China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)

Launch

2026-08 (NET)

Landing site

Shackleton crater illuminated rim, lunar south pole

Customer

CNSA

Payload

21 science payloads (6 international) across orbiter, lander, rover, mini-hopper, and Queqiao-2as of 2026-06-12^[2]Payload count revised from 18 to 21 as the mission arrived at Wenchang for its ~Aug 2026 launch

Key findings

• 1.Aims to be China's first dedicated prospecting mission to the lunar south pole, hunting for water-ice in the permanently shadowed regions near Shackleton crater.
• 2.Will fly a multi-element stack — orbiter, lander, rover and a unique mini-flying 'hopping' probe — supported by the existing Queqiao-2 relay satellite.
• 3.The mini-flying probe is designed to hop into a permanently shadowed crater carrying the Lunar Water Molecule Analyzer, drilling and heating samples for mass-spectrometer analysis in extreme cold and darkness.
• 4.Carries 21 science payloads across the mission elements (six of them international), including an Italian laser retroreflector on the lander plus orbiter imagers/radar, and a rover with panoramic camera, ground-penetrating radar and Raman spectrometer.
• 5.Confirming accessible water-ice would be pivotal for sustained exploration — a potential source of drinking water, breathable oxygen and hydrogen/oxygen rocket propellant for future crews.

Mission outcome

Chang'e 7 is a planned mission, not yet launched: the spacecraft arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Center for pre-launch preparations and is targeting liftoff on a Long March 5 in the second half of 2026, with reporting pointing to around August. Its goal is to prospect the illuminated rim and permanently shadowed regions near the lunar south pole, where a hopping mini-probe would descend into a dark crater to test directly for water-ice volatiles. Success would deliver China's first in-situ characterization of south-polar water resources and lay groundwork for the crewed and infrastructure ambitions of the International Lunar Research Station.