China to launch Chang'e-7 to explore moon south pole
China's Chang'e-7 mission is set to launch later this year to conduct environmental and resource surveys of the moon's south pole, the China Manned Space Agency said. The robotic probe will use orbiting, landing, roving and hopping to search for water ice and assess the area for a future research base. The spacecraft has been delivered to the launch site in Hainan and is in pre-launch preparation. The mission follows India's 2023 south pole landing and China's recent Chang'e-6 far side sample return, and links to a plan for a crewed lunar landing by 2030.
Chang'e-7 will search for south pole water ice
Context
India landed near the moon south pole in 2023. China then returned samples from the far…
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