JIUQUAN -- China will launch its Tiangong-2 space lab from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's gobi desserts at 10:04 pm Thursday, a senior official with the country's manned space program said here.

Engineers have already begun injecting propellant into the the Long March-2F rocket which will carry Tiangong-2 into space, Wu Ping, deputy director of the manned space engineering office, told the press on Wednesday afternoon.