Bad weather delays launch of China's historic Chang'e 7 mission to moon's south pole

China's Chang'e 7 lunar mission has been indefinitely delayed due to poor weather conditions caused by Tropical Depression Narra. The launch, originally scheduled from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, may now be pushed to 2027.
Why it matters
This delay impacts China's ambitious lunar exploration timeline and its goal of landing astronauts on the moon by 2030.
Launches & Spacecraft Bad weather delays launch of China's historic Chang'e 7 mission to moon's south pole News By Mike Wall Published 23 August 2026 Weather has delayed the launch indefinitely. A new target date has yet to be announced.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works .
Click for next article China's Chang'e 7 lunar probe and its Long March 5 rocket are transferred to their pad at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Aug. 19, 2026 in Wenchang, Hainan Province. (Image credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Poor weather has delayed the launch of China's latest moon mission.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in