China's Chang'e 7 robotic lunar mission is scheduled to take place in the second half of this year, set to survey the environment and resources of the moon's south pole, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

As of Thursday night, all components of the Chang'e 7 probe had been transported by air and road to the Wenchang Space Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Hainan province, the agency said in a statement, adding that the spacecraft will be assembled and then undergo various tests at the space complex as per plans.

"The Chang'e-7 mission aims to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies, including high-precision soft landing on the lunar surface, legged movement, lunar surface hopping and detection of permanently shadowed craters on the moon. It will use a mixture of orbiting, landing, roving and hopping maneuvers to conduct surveys of the environment and resources at the lunar south pole and carry out international cooperation projects," the agency said.

Currently, all preparation work is proceeding in accordance with the mission plan, paving the way for the probe's launch in the second half of this year, according to the agency.

So far, China has conducted six robotic missions to explore the moon.

The country deployed two rovers on the lunar surface through the Chang'e 3 and 4 missions. It has also retrieved samples from both the near and far sides of the moon via the Chang'e 5 and 6, becoming the first and only nation to have achieved such a historic feat.