China’s Shenzhou XIV spacecraft was moved to the launchpad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Sunday, CGTN state media reported, in the latest details released about Beijing's final stages of its work on the Tiangong space station.

The Shenzhou XIV spacecraft is scheduled to carry three astronauts next month for a six-month mission to Tiangong.

Zhang Fusheng, chief designer for the manned spacecraft system, said, "We have completed all the final assembly and tests, including the propellant filling of the spacecraft. We will conduct a large-scale system interface test on the rocket system and then proceed to a whole system drill which marks the entry of the combo into the prelaunch status."

After this mission, Beijing plans to launch one of the station’s lab components in July and the second in October. 

Last week, China released a new, high-definition image of Tiangong, which is in orbit about 250 miles above the Earth, Bloomberg reported.

Beijing started constructing Tiangong after the U.S. barred China from participating in the International Space Station.

When Tiangong is complete, China will be the only country to operate a space station of its own.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been bolstering efforts to match the U.S. as a major power in space, including partnering with Russia on a proposed lunar research station and opposing the Washington-supported Artemis Accords, which are meant to help govern future activity in space.

Beijing has criticized the agreement as an attempt to create a space-based NATO.

The cabin of Tiangong will have capacity for six people, who will be able to occupy more than 110 cubic meters of activity space, according to Chinese reports. In addition, there will be two exit hatches for astronauts and one for cargo.

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