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International Lunar Research Station

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1. What we know so far
2. On 23 August 2026, China's space authorities said Chang'e 7 did not meet launch conditions for its planned 2026 window; the statement gave no reason and no new date.
3. As of 18 September 2026, NASASpaceflight.com reported that Chang'e 7 was planned for no earlier than early 2027 because missing its 2026 window also missed linked lighting opportunities.
4. As of 18 September 2026, China planned Chang'e 8 for launch around 2029 and targeted the Leibnitz-Beta plateau near the lunar south pole.
5. As of 18 September 2026, CNSA had selected 10 collaborative Chang'e 8 projects involving 11 countries and regions.
6. On 28 February 2026, CGTN reported that the China Manned Space Agency said its rocket, crew spacecraft and lunar lander for a crewed landing before 2030 were progressing smoothly.
7. On 26 April 2024, China's State Council Information Office said a basic ILRS was targeted in the lunar south-polar region by 2035.
8. Program status: Planned; nothing has been built on the Moon (per Wikipedia contributors)
9. Lead agencies: CNSA and Roscosmos
10. Basic station target: Lunar south-polar region by 2035
11. Expanded station target: Expanded station by 2045
12. Chang'e 8 schedule: Launch around 2029
13. Crewed landing target: Before 2030
14. Origins and partners
15. China and Russia signed a memorandum on 9 March 2021 to cooperate in building the station, and their space agencies, CNSA and Roscosmos, presented a development roadmap on 16 June 2021. CNSA and Roscosmos described the project as open to interested countries and international partners.
16. In April 2024, China named Nicaragua, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization and the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences as new partners, according to the State Council Information Office. The office also said China had invited 50 countries, 500 international research institutions, and 5,000 overseas researchers to join and help manage the facility.
17. According to SpaceNews, Senegal's space agency had signed an ILRS cooperation agreement with CNSA on 5 September 2024. SpaceNews also reported that China planned a coordinating organization for the project.
18. Planned design and phases
19. The State Council Information Office described the planned ILRS as including lunar-surface, lunar-orbit, and Earth-based sections connected by power, command, information, communications, navigation, and transportation infrastructure. The facility was intended to support multidisciplinary lunar research, observations, experiments, resource use, technology verification, and long-term autonomous operation on the Moon or in lunar orbit.
20. It said the first phase, a basic station in the south-polar region by 2035, was intended to support regular scientific experiments and limited resource development and use. Its second phase targeted an expanded station by 2045, with a lunar-orbit hub and broader research and resource functions.
21. The station China plans by 2035 CCTV, January 2025: China's animation of the international lunar research station it aims to build at the south pole by around 2035.
22. China planned the completed facility to support energy supply, control, communications and navigation, transport between Earth and the Moon, and lunar-surface research. According to Wikipedia contributors, the broader development roadmap divided the program into reconnaissance, construction, and utilization phases, while China and Russia planned precursor missions during the 2020s.
23. Chang'e 7
24. Chang'e 7 is a robotic mission made up of an orbiter, a lander, a rover and a small hopping probe, intended to land at the Moon's south pole on a Long March 5 rocket launched from Hainan Island, according to Ars Technica. It is intended to survey the lunar south-polar environment and search for water ice and other resources. On 23 August 2026, China's space authorities said the probe did not meet launch conditions and could not launch during its planned window that year. China's statement did not explain the postponement and provided no revised launch date.
25. Chang'e 7 at the south pole CCTV, January 2025: the planned Chang'e 7 probe, sent to look for water and ice at the Moon's south pole (animation).
26. Ars Technica wrote that the first day's delay was most likely caused by Typhoon Narra. Space.com reported that Tropical Depression Narra's development near Hainan had prompted the China Manned Space Agency to delay the mission. NASASpaceflight.com reported on 18 September 2026 that Chang'e 7 was planned for no earlier than early 2027, but China had not confirmed a revised date.
27. On 25 August 2026, CGTN, China's state broadcaster, explained that the mission could not simply launch a few days later, because the spacecraft has to reach its landing area before a period of continuous sunlight begins. CGTN reported that favorable lighting at the lunar south pole also affected the timing and estimated that the annual period especially favorable for stable exploration could be about 100 days.
28. Chang'e 8
29. Chang'e 8 is planned to test technologies for using lunar resources in place, while other planning records said it would test lunar soil as material for 3D-printed construction.
30. The mission was officially scheduled for launch around 2029 as of 18 September 2026, with a target landing near the lunar south pole. Earlier planning records gave different launch periods, including 2026, 2028, and 2028 to 2029, so those dates did not represent a single confirmed schedule.
31. As of 18 September 2026, CNSA had selected 10 collaborative Chang'e 8 projects involving 11 countries and regions. Pakistan and CNSA agreed in February 2025 that Pakistan would provide a 35-kilogram lunar rover for the mission. Planning information available in October 2023 said Chang'e 8 offered 200 kilograms of payload capacity for international instruments.
32. China's crewed landing program
33. CGTN reported on 28 February 2026 that China was preparing for a crewed lunar landing before 2030. On 11 February 2026, CGTN reported that China had completed a successful test of the Long March 10 rocket as a step toward the crewed landing. According to CGTN, the Wenchang tests were a low-altitude flight by the Long March 10 rocket and an abort test of the Mengzhou crew capsule at maximum aerodynamic pressure, and the China Manned Space Engineering Office said both performed as designed. The China Manned Space Agency said in February 2026 that the Long March 10 rocket, the Mengzhou spacecraft and the Lanyue lander were progressing smoothly.
34. CGTN described the tests as moving China a step closer to its goal, a target set by its own agencies, of landing astronauts on the Moon before 2030.
35. Comparison with NASA's plans
36. The Times of India reported in May 2026 that China was advancing its planned lunar base program faster than NASA's lunar plans. The newspaper wrote that China's progress was adding pressure on the United States.
37. Timeline
38. 2021-03-09: China and Russia signed a memorandum to cooperate in constructing the ILRS.
39. 2021-06-16: CNSA and Roscosmos presented an ILRS development roadmap in St. Petersburg.
40. 2024-04-26: China's State Council Information Office described the planned station's design and phases.
41. 2024-09-05: Senegal's space agency signed an ILRS cooperation agreement with CNSA.
42. 2026-02-11: CGTN reported that China completed a successful Long March 10 rocket test.
43. 2026-08-23: China's Manned Space Agency said Chang'e 7 could not launch during its planned 2026 window.
44. 2026-09-18: NASASpaceflight.com reported that Chang'e 8 was scheduled for around 2029.
45. 2026-09-18: NASASpaceflight.com reported that Chang'e 7 was planned for no earlier than early 2027.
46. 2035: China targeted a basic ILRS in the lunar south-polar region by this year.
47. 2045: China targeted an expanded ILRS by this year.

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