In the long human reach toward the moon, patience sometimes demands more courage than speed. China's space agency announced Sunday that its Chang'e-7 mission — designed to probe the moon's permanently shadowed south pole for water ice and resources — would not launch during its planned window this year from Hainan Island, after a readiness review determined conditions were not met. The decision, framed around the principles of prudence and reliability, reflects a recurring truth in exploration: that the most ambitious journeys sometimes require the hardest pauses.