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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, giving no reason and no new date.
3. As of 18 September 2026, Chang'e 7 was planned for no earlier than early 2027, because missing its 2026 window also meant missing linked lighting opportunities.
4. As of 18 September 2026, Chang'e 8 was planned to launch around 2029 and to target the Leibnitz-Beta plateau near the lunar south pole.
5. By 18 September 2026, CNSA had selected 10 collaborative Chang'e 8 projects involving 11 countries and regions.
6. On 28 February 2026, the China Manned Space Agency said the rocket, crew spacecraft, and lunar lander for its crewed landing before 2030 were progressing smoothly.
7. On 26 April 2024, China's State Council Information Office said the target for a basic ILRS in the lunar south-polar region was 2035.
8. Program status: Planned; nothing has been built on the Moon
9. Lead agencies: CNSA and Roscosmos
10. Basic station target: Lunar south-polar region, by 2035
11. Expanded station target: 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. The two agencies described the project as open to interested countries and international partners.
16. In April 2024, China named three new partners: Nicaragua, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, and the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences. The State Council Information 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. Senegal's space agency signed an ILRS cooperation agreement with CNSA on 5 September 2024. China was also planning a coordinating organization for the project.
18. Planned design and phases
19. The State Council Information Office described the planned ILRS as including sections on the lunar surface, in lunar orbit, and on Earth, connected by power, command, information, communications, navigation, and transportation infrastructure. The facility is 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. In the office's plan, the first phase, a basic station in the south-polar region by 2035, would support regular scientific experiments and limited resource development and use. The second phase targets 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 plans the completed facility to support energy supply, control, communications and navigation, transport between Earth and the Moon, and research on the lunar surface. The broader development roadmap divides the program into reconnaissance, construction, and utilization phases, with precursor missions by China and Russia 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, to be launched on a Long March 5 rocket from Hainan Island and to land at the Moon's south pole. It is meant to survey the 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 that year's planned window. The statement did not explain the postponement and gave 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, developing near Hainan, had prompted the China Manned Space Agency to delay the mission. On 18 September 2026, NASASpaceflight.com reported that Chang'e 7 was planned for no earlier than early 2027, though 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. Favorable lighting at the lunar south pole also shapes the timing: CGTN estimated that the period each year 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; other planning records said it would test lunar soil as a material for 3D-printed construction.
30. As of 18 September 2026, the mission was officially scheduled to launch around 2029 and aimed to land near the lunar south pole. Earlier planning records gave other launch periods, including 2026, 2028, and 2028 to 2029, so those dates did not amount to a single confirmed schedule.
31. By 18 September 2026, CNSA had selected 10 collaborative Chang'e 8 projects involving 11 countries and regions. In February 2025, Pakistan and CNSA agreed 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. As of 28 February 2026, China was preparing for a crewed lunar landing before 2030, CGTN reported. Earlier that month, on 11 February, CGTN reported that China had completed a successful test of the Long March 10 rocket as a step toward that landing. The tests at Wenchang were a low-altitude flight of the Long March 10 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. In February 2026, the China Manned Space Agency said 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, 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 was advancing its own lunar plans. China's progress, the newspaper wrote, 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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