China delays Chang'e-7 moon mission after rare rocket failure

China's manned space agency has delayed the Chang'e-7 lunar probe mission, citing that launch conditions were not met. The decision comes less than two weeks after a Long March 7A rocket carrying a communications satellite exploded shortly after liftoff from the same Hainan launch site.

China's manned space agency said on Sunday (Aug 23) it is delaying a research moon mission that is part of Beijing's efforts to land a crew there by 2030, less than two weeks after a rare launch failure.

The agency said after a "comprehensive assessment" the mission, which involved sending the Chang'e-7 lunar probe on a Long March 5 carrier rocket, "does not meet launch conditions and cannot take place during the planned window this year". The decision to delay was "based on the principle of prudence, reliability and absolute mission success," it added, without providing further details on what conditions weren't met or when the launch would be rescheduled.

The mission — meant to search for water on the moon's south pole — was scheduled to depart either over the weekend or Monday, according to media reports. Last week, the agency said the probe and carrier rocket had been moved to the takeoff area at Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern Hainan province. As of Wednesday, the takeoff site and equipment were in good condition, with inspections to take place and a launch "scheduled for the coming period".

The Chang'e-7 delay comes just under two weeks after media reports showed a rocket launched from the Hainan site had exploded, as crowds watched a fiery ball in the sky. The failed mission involved a Long March 7A carrier rocket, which had lifted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site, state news agency Xinhua said at the time. An "anomaly" occurred when the rocket carrying the Zhongxing-4B communications satellite was in flight, Xinhua added. The cause of the failure was under investigation, it said.

Beijing has ploughed billions of dollars into its space programme in recent years to achieve what President Xi Jinping calls the country's "space dream". China successfully landed a reusable rocket for the first time in July, according to its space agency, marking a major step in its space ambitions and in reducing launch costs. The country is aiming to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030, a race in which the United States is also competing with its Artemis programme.