On 19 August 2026 – CNSA –China National Space Administration …. At. Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China …… The Chang’e 7 mission spacecraft and rocket combination has completed vertical transport and is scheduled for launch soon.
Beijing time, August 19, 2026, the Chang’e7 probe and the Long March 5 Y14 carrier rocket completed relevant work in the technical area at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, and the spacecraft and rocket combination has been vertically transported to the launch area.
The Chang’e 7 probe and the Long March 5 Y14 carrier rocket arrived at the launch site in April and July respectively, and have successively completed assembly, testing, and other preparations. Currently, the launch site facilities and equipment are in good condition, and subsequent pre-launch functional checks, joint tests, propellant loading, and other work will be carried out as planned, with launch scheduled for soon .
Chang’e-7 Mission Vehicle and Rocket Assembly Completed Vertical Transfer, Launch Scheduled Soon..
On August 19, 2026, Beijing time, the Chang’e-7 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket completed relevant work in the technical area at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, and the vehicle and rocket assembly has been vertically transferred to the launch area.
The Chang’e-7 probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket arrived at the launch site in April and July respectively, and have successively completed assembly, testing, and other preparatory work. Currently, the launch site facilities and equipment are in good condition, and subsequent pre-launch functional checks, joint tests, and propellant loading will be carried out as planned, with launch scheduled for the near future.
The Chang’e-7 probe and the Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket were vertically transported to the launch area at the Wenchang Space Launch Site today (August 19). The launch is scheduled to take place in the coming days, marking the final sprint stage of my country’s lunar exploration program’s fourth phase of lunar south pole exploration
I. The launch mission has entered the pre-launch phase.
- Latest update : On the morning of August 19, the Chang’e-7 spacecraft and rocket combination completed its vertical transfer and was officially moved from the technical area to the launch area, marking the start of the critical countdown phase of the launch process.
- Preliminary preparations : The probe arrived at the Wenchang launch site in April and the Long March 5 Y14 rocket in July, respectively, and all preparations, including final assembly and testing, were completed.
- Current status : The launch site facilities and equipment are in good condition. Subsequent pre-launch functional checks, joint tests, propellant loading, and other tasks will be carried out as planned
I. The mission is to head straight to the lunar south pole to find water ice.
- Core objective : To conduct exploration of the lunar south pole environment and resources using a comprehensive exploration approach that includes orbiting, landing, roving, and flyby, with a focus on finding potential water ice resources within permanently shadowed craters.@USTCHuBugui4
- Landing area : The planned landing site is the South Pole-Aitken Basin above 85° south latitude on the moon. This area contains a large number of permanently shadowed craters that never see sunlight, and the temperature at the bottom of the craters can be as low as -230°C, which is considered by the scientific community to be very likely to contain water ice.
- Significance of the breakthrough : Chang’e-7 is expected to make China the first country in the world to directly find water on the moon, providing key resource data for the subsequent construction of lunar research stations and manned lunar landing
III. Many cutting-edge technologies will be tested in real combat.
- High-precision soft landing : Breakthrough in sub-100-meter lunar soft landing technology to cope with the rugged and complex terrain of Antarctica.
- Innovations of the spacecraft : The world’s first lunar surface probe capable of multiple autonomous jumps, capable of flying into permanently shadowed craters to drill about 1 meter deep into lunar soil and analyze water ice content in situ.6
- Legged walking : The lunar rover adopts a six-legged bionic leg design to adapt to the complex terrain of Antarctica and has a stronger obstacle-crossing ability
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration
