Published : 14/05/2026
The Chang'e 7 (嫦娥七號) lunar mission is the centrepiece of China's space programme for the latter half of 2026. It is expected to achieve several "human firsts" and world records.
However, what people are most anticipating is the possibility of China becoming the first nation to find water on the Moon.
Chang'e 7: "5-in-1" becomes "4-in-1"
China launched its lunar exploration programme in 2004, first completing the three steps of "orbiting", "landing", and "returning"" with Chang'e 1 to Chang'e 5. By early 2022, it entered the fourth phase of "surveying".
Firstly, the Chang'e 6 mission involved "digging soil" from the far side of the Moon and bringing it back to Earth, while the "surveying" objective of the Chang'e 7 mission is water. which is the top priority of the fourth phase of the programme.
Under the original plans from the Chinese space authorities, Chang'e 7 was scheduled to launch as early as 2023—prior even to the Chang'e 6 mission, which collected samples from the far side of the Moon. Following a series of mission adjustments, its departure has been pushed back to August 2026.
Beyond its launch window, the configuration of Chang'e 7 has also undergone changes.
The original proposal featured a "five-in-one" design, consisting of an orbiter, a lander, a rover (expected to be named "Yutu 3"), a flying probe, and a small relay satellite, with a total weight of 8.2 tonnes.
In the revised version, this has become a "four-in-one" setup, with the relay satellite being removed.
In March 2024, China's space authorities launched a relay satellite named Queqiao 2 (鵲橋二號) to provide lunar communication relay services for the various probes in the fourth phase of the lunar exploration programme.
With the shared Queqiao 2 satellite now available, Chang'e 7 no longer needs to carry its own relay satellite. The space and payload capacity saved has been primarily allocated to the hopper, allowing it to be built larger and fitted with more essential components, thereby enhancing its overall performance.
Chang'e 7's hopper is the "trump card"
The hopper has always been the most talked-about part of Chang'e 7.
Its design and operation are remarkably sci-fi, closely resembling the spider-like robots of popular imagination. It is set to become the first device of its kind to operate on the Moon—or indeed anywhere in "deep space"—and is being hailed as the "trump card" in the search for water.
As for just how futuristic this probe is and exactly how it will function, that is a story for another time.
According to the plan, Chang'e 7 will be launched in August 2026 from Wenchang, Hainan Province, by a "Fat Five" (Long March 5 rocket).
After reaching lunar orbit, it will first orbit the Moon for preliminary exploration. Subsequently, the lander, rover and hopper combination ("lander-rover-hopper combination") will separate from the orbiter at an opportune moment and land in the Aitken Basin in the south pole region, at around 88 degrees south latitude.
This will be the first time a human probe has reached the lunar south pole region. As for the orbiter, it will remain in lunar orbit to conduct remote sensing of the Moon.
Due to the complex terrain of the lunar south pole region, the landing technology of Chang'e 7 features a breakthrough compared to previous missions, including the addition of "landmark image navigation", to achieve pinpoint landing in a designated area with sub-100-metre precision (an error of less than 100 metres), an improvement of two orders of magnitude compared to the past.
Wait a moment, wasn't the first probe to land in the lunar south pole region India's "Chandrayaan-3" in 2023? Many media outlets reported on it at the time.
Chang'e 7 lands in the lunar south pole region
The landing site of Chandrayaan-3 is at approximately 69 degrees south latitude on the Moon. If this latitude were on Earth, it would indeed be within the range of the Antarctic region.
However, the axial tilt of the Moon is much smaller than that of the Earth, so most scientists believe its relative South Pole region should be between 88.5 and 90 degrees south latitude. The landing position of Chandrayaan-3 can only be said to be near the South Pole.
To get back to the main topic, after the Chang'e 7's "lander-rover-hopper" combination arrives at the lunar South Pole, the rover and hopper will carry out various detection and water-seeking tasks. Media reports suggest that China is expected to become the first country to find water on the Moon.
Data shows that the orbiter, lander, and rover of Chang'e 7 can operate continuously for eight years, while the hopper is expected to work for six months. It was just mentioned that the hopper is the "trump card" for finding water, so good news may not be long in coming.
Finally, why are scientists trying every means to find water on the Moon, and why is the location for Chang'e 7's water search locked on the South Pole region? These questions will also be discussed in another article.
(The cover image is generated by AI)
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