China’s Chang’e-7 Seeks Hidden Lunar Ice at the Moon’s South Pole
China’s Chang’e-7 mission, featuring an orbiter, lander, rover and a hopping lander, aims to locate and characterize water ice in permanently shadowed craters near the Moon’s south pole, mapping its depth and accessibility to support future science and resources like drinking water, fuel, and oxygen for crewed missions while highlighting ongoing international interest in lunar water and related policy questions.