China advances lunar settlement plans via Chang’e-7 mission

China is advancing its lunar ambitions with plans to establish a permanent settlement on the Moon by 2040. Central to this strategy is the Chang’e-7 mission, which aims to explore the lunar south pole. The mission will utilize an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a mobile ‘hopper’ to investigate geology, topography, and soil composition.

A primary objective of the Chang’e-7 mission is to locate and analyze water ice in permanently shadowed craters. Such resources are critical for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), as water can be decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen to support future human habitation and long-term missions.

These developments have intensified geopolitical competition with the United States. While China envisions the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) as a scientific complex—potentially involving a nuclear reactor in partnership with Russia—the U.S. is also focusing efforts on the lunar south pole. The rapid technological progress in space exploration has led American legislators to describe the current era as a 21st-century space race.