China lunar water ice exploration mission
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China postpones Chang'e-7 lunar mission launch
The Chang'e-7 mission aimed at making breakthroughs in key technologies, according to Xinhua.
The space agency did not elaborate on the reasons behind the decision to postpone.
The Chang'e-7 mission was set to include searching for water ice on the moon.
China postpones water-hunting moon mission
Yuqi Qian, a lunar geologist at the University of Hong Kong, said China's lunar program is shifting from an exploration program to a resource utilization program.
China postponed the launch of its Chang'e-7 moon mission, which had been expected as soon as Sunday evening or Monday morning Beijing time.
Chang'e-7 included a robotic hopper designed to deploy from the lander, navigate to lunar south pole craters, and drill for ice.
China prepares lunar mission targeting water ice reserves
No previous space mission has used a dedicated hopper to jump in and out of lunar craters in this way.
In 2009, NASA deliberately crashed a rocket segment and its probe into a shadowed lunar crater to analyse the dust plume it kicked up.
The Chang'e-7's six-legged hopper has been designed to jump into and out of the deep, shadowed craters near the south pole.
Overview of China's Lunar Mission Objectives Regarding Moon Ice
The Chang'e-7 lander is set to touch down near the edge of Shackleton Crater.
Russia's Luna-25 lunar spacecraft spun out of control and crashed in 2023.
The Chang'e-7 mission comprises an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a hopper.