The Associated Press reported from Haikou, China, that the country announced the postponement of its planned lunar mission Chang’e-7. This mission aimed to explore and search for water ice on the Moon.

Chang’e-7 was originally scheduled to launch in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch Center located on China’s southern island of Hainan. However, the Chinese Manned Space Agency stated that the mission doesn’t meet the launch conditions. Consequently, it cannot proceed during the planned window this year.

“After a comprehensive assessment, the decision was based on principles of prudence, reliability, and absolute success of the mission,” the agency reported, without providing further details about the reasons behind the decision.

Recent weeks saw preparations at the Wenchang launch site for the Chang’e-7 mission. It marks the seventh undertaking in China’s Chang’e lunar exploration program. The mission aimed to advance key technologies, as previously reported by the official news agency Xinhua. Its objectives included exploring permanently shadowed craters and conducting environmental and resource studies at the lunar south pole.

The name Chang’e refers to a goddess of the Moon in Chinese mythology. In 2024, the Chang’e-6 probe returned to Earth with samples of rocks and soil from the Moon’s far side, achieving a global milestone.