Shenzhou XVII crew ready for lift off

Carrying the Shenzhou XVII crew, a Long March 2F carrier rocket is scheduled to lift off at 11:14 am.

The Shenzhou XVII team is expected to arrive at the Tiangong space station on Thursday afternoon to meet their peers in the Shenzhou XVI flight who have been in orbit for nearly five months.

After spending about four days together to complete handover work, Tang Hongbo and his teammates will take over Tiangong and the Shenzhou XVI crew will fly back to Earth.

The Shenzhou XVII astronauts are scheduled to stay inside Tiangong for around six months and return to Earth around April.