Shenzhou XX crew prepares for launch to Tiangong

The three astronauts of China's 15th manned spaceflight, the Shenzhou XX mission, headed to the launch tower on Thursday afternoon after a see-off ceremony in front of their residential building at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

Mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crew members Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie reported to the commander-in-chief of the country's manned space program, General Xu Xueqiang, that they were ready for the coming mission and asked for permission to embark on the expedition.

Xu gave his permission before the crew saluted him and all participants in the brief event, and then the astronauts boarded their coach to the launch tower. Many workers and residents at the Jiuquan center lined the route to cheer the astronauts on their way as the vehicle passed.

The Long March 2F carrier rocket, which will launch the Shenzhou XX team, begun to be filled with propellants on Wednesday morning and is scheduled to blast off at 5:17 pm on Thursday.

After entering orbit, the spaceship is programmed to fly for around six and a half hours, before docking with the Tiangong space station.

The Shenzhou XX team will be the ninth batch of inhabitants of the space station, which was completed in late 2022.

Chen Dong and his teammates will replace their peers on the Shenzhou XIX flight, who have already been in orbit for six months.