China's Chang’e-7 lunar probe to target Moon’s south pole in 2026

China’s Chang’e-7 lunar probe, set for launch in 2026, will target the Moon's south pole to search for water ice and test advanced technologies essential for sustainable human presence on the Moon.

Equipped with an innovative hopper spacecraft and a water molecule analyzer, the mission aims to confirm the presence and distribution of water ice in the Moon’s permanently shadowed craters, Caliber.Az reports via Chinese media.

While previous missions — Chang’e-3 and Chang’e-5 — successfully landed on the Moon's near side, and Chang’e-4 and Chang’e-6 made historic landings on the far side, Chang’e-7’s planned landing at the south pole will push China’s lunar exploration capabilities further, demonstrating the ability to reach any region of the Moon, explained Tang Yuhua, deputy chief designer of the Chang’e-7 mission.

If water ice is found, it could greatly reduce the cost and time needed to transport water from Earth, facilitating the establishment of a long-term human base on the Moon and supporting future exploration of Mars or deep space, said Tang.

Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, highlighted the challenges the Chang’e-7 probe will face, including extreme temperatures below minus 100°C and complex terrain. The probe will include an orbiter, lander, rover, and mobile hopper, with the hopper set to “jump” between sunlit areas and shadowed craters to perform detailed analyses.

The lander will deploy China’s first deep-space “landmark image navigation” system to ensure precision, while the hopper will feature shock-absorption technology to safely land on slopes. The probe will also be capable of autonomously analyzing its landing terrain, with over half of its operations carried out independently, without ground control.

To capture the low-angle sunlight near the lunar south pole, the mission’s solar panels are being optimized to ensure efficiency. With the mission now in its final assembly and testing phase, Tang confirmed that Chang’e-7 is on track for its groundbreaking lunar exploration.

By Tamilla Hasanova