China is preparing to launch its uncrewed, robot-based Chang’e-7 mission to search for ice in permanently shadowed craters at the Moon’s south pole. The launch window runs from August 24 to 31, with a possible launch as early as Monday. China’s seventh lunar mission will target the rim of Shackleton Crater, near the lunar south pole.

The mission includes an orbiter, lander, rover and solar-powered hopper. The orbiter will map and image the lunar surface while relaying communications. The lander will carry scientific instruments, and the rover will examine rocks, soil and local conditions. The six-legged hopper is designed to enter and exit deep, dark crater areas that conventional rovers cannot reach.

Chang’e-7 will investigate where water ice is located, how deep it lies, its condition and whether it can be collected. The source says lunar ice may preserve records of volcanic activity and provide clues about how water entered the Earth-Moon system. Accessible water could also support future human missions through drinking water, cooling, hydrogen fuel and oxygen production.