By DevelopingChina delays Chang’e-7 mission to drill for ice near lunar south pole
Historic mission set to lift off as early as Monday has been postponed following safety and reliability assessment, China Manned Space Agency says
The Chang’e-7 – carrying an orbiter, a lander, a rover and a hopper – was set to lift off aboard a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang spaceport in southern China as early as Monday.
The China Manned Space Agency said on Sunday evening that the mission would be postponed following a comprehensive assessment to adhere to principles of safety and reliability.
“The Chang’e-7 mission does not meet the launch conditions and cannot be carried out within the scheduled launch window this year,” state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the agency.
“Due to the target landing site on the lunar south pole, this makes for a very particular launch window in which the sun lined up just right for the lunar crater,” NARIT said.
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