China's Mengtian space lab fueled up for upcoming launch

WENCHANG, Hainan, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Mengtian lab module, the second lab component of China's under-construction space station, has been filled with fuel as planned at the launch site, the China Manned Space Agency said on Monday.

The pre-launch operation was conducted on Sunday.

According to the agency, assembly and tests of the spacecraft were completed after its arrival at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern province of Hainan. Prior to launch, it will also carry out a joint check of system functions with a Long March-5B Y4 carrier rocket, which is going to propel the Mengtian lab into space.

The facilities and equipment at the launch site are in good condition and all the systems involved in the mission are undergoing orderly preparations, the agency said in a statement.

At present, China's Tiangong space station complex is composed of the Tianhe core module, the Wentian lab module, the Tianzhou-4 cargo vessel and the Shenzhou-14 crewed spaceship.

Scientific equipment in the Mengtian lab will be used for studying microgravity and carrying out experiments in fluid physics, materials science, combustion science and fundamental physics, designers have said.