China postpones Chang'e-7 lunar mission

China planned Chang'e-7, its most complex lunar mission, to search for water ice near the Moon's south pole

China said on Sunday it has postponed its Chang'e-7 lunar mission after a "comprehensive assessment", according to state-run Xinhua news agency.

The uncrewed Chang'e-7 mission "does not meet the conditions for launch and therefore cannot be carried out within the launch window scheduled for this year", Xinhua said, citing authorities.

Before Sunday's announcement, the Chang'e-7 spacecraft, had been expected to be launched as early as next week.

The spacecraft was expected to search for frozen water near the moon's south pole.

Earlier, China announced to send Chang'e-7, its most technologically complex lunar mission to date, in its search for frozen stores of water in permanently shadowed craters near the moon's south pole.

The uncrewed mission, named after a mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, designed the deployment of a robotic lander, rover, and "hopping" probe to one of the coldest places in the solar system.

It will represent a major step towards Beijing's long-term goal of building a permanent human presence on the moon, with plans underway for a crewed lunar landing before 2030 and the setting up of a joint research station with Russia by 2035.