China is preparing to launch its Chang’e-7 unmanned lunar mission, with a launch window running from Monday, August 24, through Monday, August 31. The mission will search for ice water in permanently shadowed craters near the moon’s south pole.
Chang’e-7 will use an orbiter, lander, rover and hopper to study where lunar water is located, how deep it is, what form it takes and whether it could be accessed. The landing is planned near Shackleton Crater, a 21km-wide pit close to the south pole.
Four spacecraft components, one difficult landing site
The orbiter will map the lunar surface, take images, relay communications and transmit data between the other mission components and Earth. The lander will carry scientific instruments to the surface, while the rover will examine rocks, soil and the local environment around the landing site.
The solar-powered hopper is designed to fly short distances before landing again. Chang’e-7 will use its six-legged hopper to enter and leave deep, shadowed craters around Shackleton Crater, where a conventional rover may not be able to travel. The source material describes this as the first mission to use a dedicated hopper for that purpose.
Why lunar water matters
Space missions over the past two decades have established that water exists on the moon. In 2009, NASA deliberately crashed a rocket segment and probe into a shadowed crater, analysing the resulting dust plume. NASA later reported that water molecules were also present within mineral grains, while mapping had detected ice in shadowed areas in 2018.
Ancient polar ice could preserve evidence of lunar volcanic activity and of water delivered by comets and asteroids to the Earth-moon system. If enough accessible water exists, it could provide drinking water for crewed missions, help cool equipment, and be separated into hydrogen for fuel and oxygen for breathing.
What earlier missions found — and what remains difficult
Russia’s Luna-25 was launched in 2023 to search for frozen water near the south pole but crashed after spinning out of control, preventing it from collecting scientific data. India’s Chandrayaan-3 landed successfully in August 2023 and produced new evidence related to lunar water through soil-temperature readings.
The south pole is difficult to explore because its terrain includes craters and deep trenches, and it lies far from the equatorial areas targeted by earlier missions, including the crewed Apollo landings. Chang’e-7 is intended to provide more precise information about the location, depth, physical form and accessibility of the water.
Who could use lunar water?
The 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty prohibits any nation from claiming sovereignty over the moon or owning it as territory. The treaty does not explicitly prohibit commercial operations, but it requires private space activities to be authorised and supervised by states, leaving important questions about resource ownership unresolved.
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