The Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 5:17pm on Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to Lin Xiqiang, spokesman for the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The spaceship will carry three astronauts — Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie — for the Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission, with Chen Dong serving as the commander.

Lin made this announcement during a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

China designated April 24 as its Space Day in 2016 to commemorate the successful launch of its first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, on April 24, 1970.

Thursday’s launch will utilize a Long March-2F carrier rocket, which will be filled with propellant soon. Lin added that all preparation work is progressing smoothly.

Shenzhou-20 is the 35th flight mission of China’s manned space program and the fifth crewed mission during the application and development stage of China’s space station.

The crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in northern China in late October this year.

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