Nation ready to launch new space mission for crew shift

China is all set to launch its Shenzhou XX mission to make a crew shift onboard the nation's Tiangong space station, according to a senior program official.

A Long March 2F rocket carrying the spaceship will lift off at 5:17 pm on Thursday, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, at a news conference held on Wednesday morning at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in north-western China. Thursday also marks China's 10th Space Day, which is observed annually on April 24.

The Shenzhou XX vessel will carry mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong, Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie, who are all members of the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Division, to the space station, which is currently manned by their Shenzhou XIX peers.