Raumfahrt: China verschiebt Start der Mondsonde „Chang'e 7“
Die nächste chinesische Mission zum Mond steht kurz vor ihrem Beginn. Ihr Ziel liegt diesmal am Südpol des Erdtrabanten. Doch überraschend verschiebt die Raumfahrtbehörde den Start kurzfristig.
China has unexpectedly delayed the launch of its lunar probe "Chang'e 7". The state news agency Xinhua reported this to the space agency, stating that the decision was made in a spirit of caution, reliability, and absolute mission success. The unmanned mission's launch, initially expected at the beginning of the week from the Wenchang launch site on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, was postponed without specifying the exact reason.
Thailand's Narit Research Institute, whose research device CE-7 MATCH traveled on the Chinese Long March 5 carrier rocket, cited Tropical Storm "Narra" as the cause in a statement, noting that the storm had passed near Hainan's coast and the southern Chinese mainland a week before. The Chang'e 7 mission, with its carrier rocket, was previously moved to the launch area at the Wenchang spaceport.
The mission aims to explore the southern pole region of the moon, where craters with permanently shadowed interiors may contain ice that Chinese scientists are seeking. The mission includes an orbiter, a lander, and a rover to study the surrounding environment and potential resources at the lunar south pole. The findings could be crucial for future human stays and a planned lunar research station.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
