China’s Chang’e-7 Moon mission to launch on August 24

China is preparing to launch a complex, multi-spacecraft mission to the Moon. The mission will land near the Moon’s south pole and search for evidence of water and ice. The mission is scheduled to launch on August 24 from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on China’s Hainan Island.

According to a statement issued by the China Manned Space Agency, the Chang’e-7 mission will be launched aboard a Long March 5 rocket. The mission will focus on the Moon’s south pole and attempt to determine whether water and ice are present inside the craters as well as their quantity and other related details.

Water vapour has previously been detected in this region of the Moon through remote sensing but scientists have not yet been able to measure it directly or obtain samples. Chang’e-7 will also help lay the technological groundwork for China’s crewed lunar mission planned for 2030.

The mission will consist of an orbiter, lander, rover and hopper spacecraft. Five days after launch, the spacecraft is expected to enter lunar orbit. The orbiter will then identify and determine the target landing area.

Chinese authorities have not yet announced the exact landing date and the landing is expected to take place several months after launch. The hopper spacecraft will make multiple flights over the permanently dark craters near the Moon’s south pole.

It will also be equipped with landing legs to allow it to land and analyze the surface of the selected locations. The mission will also carry scientific payloads from several countries.

China’s Chang’e-5 mission in 2020 and Chang’e-6 mission in 2024 successfully collected lunar samples and returned them to Earth.