China has started the countdown to the launch of "Shenzhou VII" and its first ever spacewalk mission. A final check of the rocket and launch site systems was conducted on Tuesday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. Our reporter Tu Yun has the details.

As Launch Commander Guo Zhonglai, of the "Shenzhou VII" mission, announces there are fifteen minutes to go before take off, the commanders of all the constituent systems, including the rocket system and the spaceship system, deliver the message to alert everyone on site.

They then give feedback to the launch commander, reporting on the status of each system.

This process is repeated several times during the two hour countdown to ensure all systems are ready.

And after the launch commander counts down the last ten seconds, the rocket takes off.

This is the only joint check at the launch site. It's also the last check before "Shenzhou VII" embarks on its space journey on Thursday.

The checkup simulates the firing and launching of the rocket, as well as the spaceship entering the preset orbit to ensure that the rocket, spaceship and the measurement control communications systems are compatible with one another.

Several joint checks had been conducted before the "Shenzhou VII" spaceship was installed aboard the carrier rocket "Long March 2F" and transported to the launch site.

Launch Commander Guo Zhonglai.

"We've just completed all the systems joint checks. This means all the systems and their electronic functions are correct. Now we can move to the next step, fuelling the rocket."

The rocket fuelling is scheduled for Wednesday, one day before the official launch.

Though all systems have passed their checks and are ready to go, Guo Zhonglai says the interval between Tuesday's joint checks and the eight-hour countdown on the day of the launch is a crucial time.

"Every operation must be very, very carefully handled. At the same time, we've left the system with one person to supervise the equipment and the facilities in case other people touch or damage them."

The "Shenzhou VII" flight will for the first time send three Chinese astronauts into space. The spacewalk mission is considered critical in order for China to successfully build a space lab and space station.

A Chinese government website, www.cmse.gov.cn, featuring China's manned space program will be launched on Wednesday.

Tu Yun, CRI news, Jiuquan.