Carrier rocket for China's Chang'e-7 lunar probe arrives at launch site

A stacked composite photo taken on Nov. 4, 2025 in Changping District of China's capital Beijing shows the Chinese space station passing in front of the Moon. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The carrier rocket for the Chang'e-7 lunar exploration mission has arrived at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Monday.

The Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket will undergo assembly and testing at the launch site together with the Chang'e-7 lunar probe, which was transported to the site in April, the CMSA added.

Chang'e-7 is scheduled for launch in the second half of this year. The mission aims to achieve breakthroughs in multiple key technologies, such as high-precision soft landing on the lunar surface, legged movements, hopping and exploration of permanently shadowed craters.

The Chang'e-7 mission will employ a comprehensive detection approach, which involves orbiting, landing, roving and hopping to conduct environmental and resource surveys of the lunar south pole. It will also involve international cooperation, the agency said.