China's next lunar mission, the Chang'e 7, set to depart soon

Over the next few days, engineers will conduct final functional examinations and pump propellants into the rocket, the release said.

According to information published previously by mission planners, the Chang'e 7 consists of an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a small flying robot capable of hopping into permanently shadowed pits on the lunar surface to look for ice.

If everything goes according to plan, after entering its moon-bound trajectory, the Chang'e 7 spacecraft will make a series of flight maneuvers before deploying its rover and flying robot on the lunar south pole.