China's lunar exploration programme announced on Sunday that its Chang'e 7 mission does not meet the conditions for launch and cannot proceed within this year's planned window, delaying the flight to a mission likely in 2027. No official reason was given, though the delay most likely relates to Typhoon Narra, which continues to bring poor weather near the Wenchang Space Launch Site. The setback matters because Chang'e 7 is a key precursor to China's crewed lunar ambitions and intensifies the race with the United States to be first to land at the Moon's South Pole.

Chang'e 7 comprises an orbiter, lander, rover and a small hopper probe, and was due to launch on a Long March 5 rocket as early as Sunday, targeting a landing near Shackleton Crater at the lunar South Pole, a region prized for permanently shadowed "cold traps" thought to hold water ice. Social media reports suggest the next viable launch window may not open until February or March 2027, partly due to sunlight requirements and a planned 90-day orbital reconnaissance phase before landing. The delay could hand NASA and Blue Origin an opportunity to reach the South Pole first via the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander, though that programme has itself been set back by the loss of the New Glenn rocket and launch pad in May.