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China postpones Chang’e-7 moon mission, citing launch requirements
The rocket was rolled back to its assembly building after the mission was delayed to next year, with experts saying the setback is unlikely to change the wider US-China contest for a sustained lunar presence.
China postponed its Chang’e-7 mission to next year, a high-stakes lunar effort aimed at hunting for water ice near the moon’s south pole, according to space experts cited by SCMP Economy.
Chinese space authorities said the mission did not meet the launch requirements and reported that, by Monday evening, the rocket had been rolled back to its assembly building after the delay came hours before the Sunday night scheduled lift-off.
SCMP Economy reported that no specific reason was given for the postponement, though the launch was approaching with a major tropical storm near the site.
Space security strategist John Sheldon, a co-founder of AstroAnalytica, said US space professionals would not be celebrating the delay, but that the move could ease political pressure on NASA by postponing the chance of another Chinese moon milestone.