China's Chang'e 7 robotic lunar mission is scheduled for launch in the second half of this year and will survey the environment and resources of the moon's south pole, the China Manned Space Agency said.

As of Thursday night, all components of the Chang'e 7 probe had been transported by air and road to the Wenchang Space Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Hainan province, the agency said in a statement. The spacecraft will be assembled and undergo various tests at the site as planned.

The Chang'e 7 mission aims to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies, including high-precision soft landing on the lunar surface, legged mobility, surface hopping and detection of permanently shadowed craters. It will use a combination of orbiting, landing, roving and hopping maneuvers to conduct surveys at the lunar south pole and carry out international cooperation projects, the agency said.

Preparation work is proceeding according to plan, paving the way for a launch in the second half of 2026, it said.

The agency also explained why it, rather than the China National Space Administration, released information on the Chang'e 7 mission. In the past, the CNSA was responsible for announcing developments in the Chang'e robotic lunar program.

China will deepen integration of existing resources and capabilities in manned lunar efforts and unmanned exploration, the agency said.

"This is to fully leverage the technological capabilities and mission experience accumulated over decades through the nation's manned spaceflights and the Chang'e robotic programs, so we can enhance the overall efficiency of our lunar exploration endeavors," it said.

According to previously published information from mission planners, the Chang'e 7 probe will consist of an orbiter, a lander, a rover and a small flying probe designed to hop into pits on the lunar surface to search for ice.

The spacecraft will carry six scientific payloads developed by foreign researchers, including Laser Retroreflector Arrays built by the National Laboratory of Frascati under Italy's National Institute for Nuclear Physics; the Lunar Dust and Electric Field Instrument from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences; and the International Lunar-based Telescope from the International Lunar Observatory Association.

China has carried out six robotic missions to explore the moon. It deployed two rovers on the lunar surface during the Chang'e 3 and 4 missions and retrieved samples from both the near and far sides of the moon through the Chang'e 5 and 6 missions, becoming the first and only country to achieve that feat.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn