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
The Chang’e-7 mission is the third mission in the fourth phase of China’s lunar exploration program, following the Chang’e-4 and Chang’e-6 missions. It plans to conduct a comprehensive exploration of the lunar near-antarctic region, encompassing orbiting, landing, roving, and flyby. The pre-selected landing area is the South Pole-Aitken Basin region above 85°S latitude on the Moon. The mission plans to conduct environmental and resource surveys in the lunar near-antarctic region, including exploration of the lunar surface environment, lunar regolith, water ice, and volatile components. It will acquire remote sensing and in-situ scientific data from the entire Moon, the landing area, and the roving area, and lay the foundation for the construction of a lunar research station.
The Chang’e-7 mission mainly consists of four parts: an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a flyby. Compared to the Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 probes, in terms of structure, Chang’e-7 reduced the return capsule and ascent vehicle, and added the rover and flyby (which are of scientific significance); in terms of function, while the Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 probes focused on sample return, the Chang’e-7 mission emphasizes scientific exploration and research.
The Chang’e-7 orbiter carried payloads including the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSMC), the Lunar Neutron Gamma Spectrometer (LNGS), the Wideband Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging Analyzer (WISMIA), the Lunar Circumferential Magnetometer (LOM), and the Lunar Microwave Imaging Radar (MSAR), operating in a near-lunar polar orbit at an altitude of 200 kilometers for lunar remote sensing. The lander carried payloads including the Seismometer (LS), the Lunar Surface Environment Detection System (LSEDS), the Landing Camera (LC), and the Topography Camera (TC) for in-situ lunar surface environment detection. The rover carried payloads including the Panoramic Camera (PC), the Lunar Surface Magnetometer (RM), the Lunar Regolith Volatile Matter Analyzer (IsMSV), the Lunar Raman Spectrometer (LRS), and the Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) for multi-directional detection of the exploration area. The flyby carried payloads including the Lunar Regolith Water Molecular Analyzer (LSWMA) for flyby to permanently shadowed craters to conduct water ice drilling and analysis.
The Long March 5 rocket used in this mission is a large cryogenic liquid-fueled launch vehicle with a two-and-a-half-stage tandem configuration. The core stage consists of a 5-meter diameter hydrogen-oxygen stage and a core stage composed of two core stages connected in series. The booster stage has four 3.35-meter diameter liquid oxygen/kerosene boosters bundled together with the core stage. This rocket is primarily used for launches into medium and high Earth orbit and deep space, and is one of the rocket models used by China for the most deep space launches.
The Long March 5 rocket is 56.97 meters tall (with a 5.2-meter diameter short fairing), with a core stage diameter of 5 meters. It has a liftoff mass of approximately 877 tons and a liftoff thrust of 1068 tons. Its payload capacity to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is no less than 14 tons, to lunar transfer orbit (TLI) no less than 8.35 tons, and to Earth-Mars transfer orbit (TMI) no less than 5.2 tons. This particular rocket is equipped with a 5.2-meter diameter, 12.267-meter height short/standard fairing. Currently, the Long March 5 is the most powerful deep-space launch rocket in Asia.
Since its successful maiden flight on November 3, 2016, the Long March 5 has carried out 11 launch missions, including 3 deep space launches. On November 3, 2026, the Long March 5 will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its maiden flight. With its powerful carrying capacity and continuous and stable launch performance, it remains irreplaceable in medium and high Earth orbit and deep space missions.
It is expected that the Chang’e-7 probe will be launched into space by the Long March 5 Y14 carrier rocket as early as the morning of August 24. Subsequently, the Chang’e-7 probe combination will be sent into the Earth-Moon transfer orbit, starting China’s first deep space exploration mission this year.
Meanwhile, the Chang’e-7 mission is also a major deep-space exploration mission of the year, its importance lying not only in the size of the probe and the diversity of its exploration methods, but also in its laying the foundation for the construction of a lunar research station, further supporting the Chang’e-8 mission in this area. According to the plan, China will complete the basic structure of its lunar research station by 2030 and expand it into an international joint base (International Lunar Research Station) by 2035.
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned Space CNSA-China National Space Administration