Trio prepare for latest historic step in China's space journey

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 XIX team, begun to be filled with propellants on Tuesday morning and is scheduled to blast off at 4:27 am local time on Wednesday.

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