Overview
- The China Manned Space Agency confirmed on Sunday that the Chang'e-7 launch cannot take place during the planned late‑August window following a comprehensive assessment.
- Officials pointed to tropical Depression Narra near Hainan as a direct operational risk that made launch preparations at the Wenchang site unsafe.
- Engineers will move the Chang'e-7 stack and its Long March 5 rocket back from Launch Complex 101 into the vehicle assembly building for protection and further inspections before the next attempt.
- Chang'e-7 combines an orbiter, a precision lander, a wheeled rover and a propulsive hopper to survey the lunar south pole and search permanently shadowed craters for water ice.
- Because Wenchang must meet tight polar trajectories, suitable daily launch opportunities come in narrow windows and the delay could push other mission timelines and international coordination into September.