On CNSA –China National Space Administration …. At. Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China ……Chang’e7 probe safely arrived at Wenchang Space Launch Site, China# Launch planned for the second half of this year…. As of the evening of April 9, 2026, the probe carrying out the Chang’e7 mission# has been safely transported to the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China via air-land combined transport. Subsequent pre-launch tests and preparations will proceed as planned.
Chang’e-7 has arrived at the launch site. The lunar landing will achieve high-precision landing, legged walking, and leapfrog technologies.
The evening of April 9, 2026, all the probes for the Chang’e-7 mission have been safely transported to the Wenchang Space Launch Site via air-land combined transport. The launch site facilities are in good condition, and all tests and preparations are proceeding in an orderly manner. The launch is scheduled for the second half of this year.
This is not only a key step in the fourth phase of China’s lunar exploration program, but also signifies that human lunar exploration will usher in several world-class technological breakthroughs, including high-precision landing, legged walking, lunar surface flyby, and detection of permanently shadowed craters. The countdown to lunar south pole exploration has officially begun
The biggest highlight of Chang’e-7’s lunar mission is its novel four-pronged approach: orbiting, landing, roving, and flyby. This is an engineering practice never before seen in the field of deep space exploration. Compared to previous Chang’e missions, it is no longer limited to a single landing and roving mission. Instead, it uses a combined probe formation to conduct a comprehensive, multi-dimensional, and high-precision survey of the lunar south pole, targeting three major scientific frontier challenges: the lunar surface environment, water ice resources, and permanently shadowed craters. From a technical perspective, the four core capabilities that this mission focused on overcoming represent the highest level of difficulty in current lunar exploration.
A high-precision soft landing on the lunar surface is a prerequisite for mission success. The terrain at the lunar south pole is extremely complex, with dense craters, steep slopes, and unique lighting conditions, making it difficult to guarantee safety and precision using traditional landing methods.
Chang’e-7 employed a combination of landmark image navigation, lidar, and intelligent obstacle avoidance technology to achieve a near-100-meter precise landing. The probe could autonomously assess the terrain and adjust its trajectory, landing steadily in a safe area even in complex environments, laying a solid foundation for subsequent exploration and flyby operations. This capability not only significantly improved mission reliability but also provided crucial data support for site selection for future manned lunar landings.
The application of legged walking technology has completely broken the terrain limitations of traditional wheeled rovers. The lunar south pole is covered with steep slopes, boulders, and rugged craters, making wheeled equipment extremely easy to get stuck. However, the legged mobility mechanism has bionic joints and active cushioning capabilities, which can flexibly cross obstacles, adapt to complex terrain, and achieve stable walking and posture adjustment. This innovation allows the probe to reach previously inaccessible areas, extending its exploration range from the flat lunar surface to the entire Antarctic region, significantly improving the coverage and effectiveness of scientific exploration. Even more groundbreaking is the lunar surface flyby capability, which is Chang’e-7’s most iconic technological innovation. The flyby spacecraft carried on the mission can take off from the sunlit area, accurately fly into the interior of permanently shadowed craters to conduct in-situ exploration, and complete multiple takeoffs and landings, breaking through the limitation of traditional probes that can only land once
Permanently shadowed craters are extremely cold and perpetually dark, and are considered important areas rich in water ice resources. Previously, humans only had remote sensing data, but Chang’e-7 will be able to conduct direct in-situ exploration, providing the most authoritative empirical evidence for the existence and distribution of water ice resources. This is a milestone for the construction of lunar research stations and the utilization of extraterrestrial resources.
This series of technological breakthroughs reflects the advantages of China’s decades of technological accumulation in the aerospace industry and its new national system. From the successful completion of the three-step lunar orbiting, landing, and returning mission, to Chang’e 6’s successful sample return from the far side of the moon, and now Chang’e 7’s attempt to reach new heights in Antarctic exploration, China’s lunar exploration has always adhered to independent innovation and gradual progress, firmly grasping core technologies in its own hands.
At the same time, Chang’e-7 will also carry out international cooperation, carrying scientific payloads from multiple countries, and promote the sharing of lunar exploration results with all mankind in an open manner, demonstrating the responsibility and commitment of a major country in space exploration.
From its arrival at the launch site to its launch in the second half of the year, Chang’e-7 is steadily making its way to the lunar south pole. It carries not only an exploration mission, but also humanity’s shared dream of exploring the unknown and expanding our living space. Breakthroughs in technologies such as high-precision landing, legged walking, and lunar surface flyby will not only redefine the capabilities of lunar exploration, but also pave the way for the construction of international lunar research stations and future manned lunar landings and deep space exploration..
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration
