Chang’e 7 lunar missions Plan

China plans to launch the Chang’e-7 mission around 2026 to explore the environment and resources of the south pole of the moon, especially the evidence of water, and the subsequent Chang’e-8 mission will test technologies for building habitats using lunar soil, a space official said on Tuesday.

The country’s lunar exploration program has maintained a 100 percent mission success rate over the past two decades and is now advancing to its fourth phase, the chief designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program said.

The lunar south pole’s unique lighting conditions with some areas receiving near-continuous sunlight for more than 100 days, create an environment where humans could potentially live and work for extended periods, Wu explained.