China’s ambitious Chang’e-7 mission was ready for launch. The spacecraft had been rolled out to the launch pad atop a powerful Long March 5 rocket, with liftoff planned for Monday morning. Yet, just before launch, China postponed the mission by an entire year.
The reason highlights one of the most difficult realities of lunar exploration: being ready to launch is not enough. You also need the Moon, the weather and orbital mechanics to cooperate.
