The assembly of Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft and Long March-7 Yao-7 carrier rocket were vertically transferred to the launch area on May 7, 2023. Photo: IC

The assembly of the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft and the Long March-7 Yao-7 carrier rocket were both vertically transferred to the launch area on Sunday, the Global Times learnt from the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO).

At present, all facilities and equipment at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in South China's Hainan Province are in good condition. Functions and joint tests will be carried out before the launch as planned, with the launch scheduled for the near future, according to the CMSEO.

"Each vertical transfer is like sending your child to the exam," said a technician at the launch facility. "We always want our children to get full marks and give a satisfactory answer."

"We are confident and determined to complete the launch mission and resolutely win the first victory in the application and development stage of the space station," said one front-line space worker.

China has scheduled launch missions for the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-16 and -17 crewed spacecraft in 2023 as the first pair of missions since the China Space Station embarked on new chapter of application and development, the Global Times learned from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on March 12.

According to a statement from the CMSA, the China Space Station is under stable operation in its orbit, with the Shenzhou-15 spaceflight crew onboard in good condition. The crew is expected to return to Earth in June.

The crew members for the two manned spaceflight missions - Shenzhou-16 and -17 - this year have been selected and they are receiving training for the missions, the CMSA disclosed earlier.

The CMSA highlighted that the first grouping of international experiment projects, which were jointly selected by the agency and the United Nation Office for Outer Space Affairs, will be uploaded to the China Space Station later this year.