Mission aimed to search for water ice on the moon
Mission also aimed to make breakthroughs in key technologies
The China Manned Space Agency announced Sunday that China is postponing its planned Chang’e-7 lunar mission, which had been scheduled to lift off in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on China’s southern Hainan island.
Chang’e-7 was designed to carry out explorations including searching for water ice on the moon, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The mission also aimed to make breakthroughs in key technologies, Xinhua previously reported.
The flight was the seventh mission in China’s Chang’e moon exploration program.
In a brief statement, the China Manned Space Agency said the mission “does not meet the launch conditions” and “cannot take place during the planned window this year.” The agency did not further elaborate on the reasons behind the decision.
The agency said the decision followed a “comprehensive assessment” guided by the principles of “prudence, reliability and absolute mission success.”
Preparations at the Wenchang launch site had been carried out over the past weeks, according to Xinhua. The site is located on Hainan island off China’s southern coast.
The Sunday announcement did not indicate when — or whether — a new launch attempt would take place. The statement provided no revised target date for the mission, leaving the timing of any future attempt uncertain.