JIUQUAN, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 11:44 p.m. Friday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Thursday.

Preparations for the Shenzhou-21 crewed mission are progressing steadily. The Long March-2F Y21 carrier rocket, which will be used for the launch, is going to be filled with propellant, said Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson for the CMSA, at a press conference.

According to the plan, after entering the orbit, the Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship will adopt a fast automated rendezvous and docking mode and dock with the front port of the Tianhe core module in about 3.5 hours, forming a three-spacecraft and three-module combination, Zhang said.

Zhang disclosed that, by now, the quality of the spaceship and rocket is under control, the astronaut crew is in good condition, the ground- system facilities and equipment are operating stably, and the space station combination is in normal condition, meeting all the conditions for carrying out the upcoming launch mission.

Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang will carry out the Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceflight mission, and Zhang Lu will be the commander, according to the CMSA.