China's Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship is on schedule to launch at 11.08pm on Sunday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday.

A Long March-2F carrier rocket, which will be used for this launch, will later be filled with propellant, spokesman Zhang Jingbo said.

Shenzhou-23 is the seventh crewed mission of the application and development stage of China's space station, and the 40th flight mission of China's manned space program.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship will adopt a fast automated rendezvous and docking mode and dock with the radial port of the Tianhe core module, forming a three-spacecraft and three-module combination, Zhang said.

Currently, the quality of both the spaceship and rocket is under control, and the crew of astronauts, who include Hong Kong's Lai Ka-ying, is in good health.

The Shenzhou-21 crew will return to the Dongfeng landing site in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after completing the in-orbit handover with the Shenzhou-23 crew, the spokesman added. (Xinhua)



Edited by Azam Khan