China is set to launch its second space lab Tiangong-2 between September 15 and 20, the office of China's manned space program revealed.

According to CCTV News, the space lab was transferred to the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Friday. The Long Mars 2F rocket would take the Tiangong-2 to space.

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"The completion of the transfer signals that the space lab Tiangong-2 mission has entered its launching stage," the office said in a statement.

The 60-ton Tiangong-2 would orbit 393 kilometers above the earth, Nature World News reported. It would also serve as a testing ground for life support systems and refueling processes.

The Chinese space station can also observe gamma ray through its gamma-ray detector POLAR, which is the result of a collaboration between China, Switzerland, and Poland.

The Tiangong-2 is capable of sustaining two astronauts in space for 30 days, according to Space Daily. It could also receive manned and cargo spaceships and will be utilized in various experiments in the fields of aerospace medicine, space sciences, space station technologies, and on-orbit maintenance.

In related news, China has clearly been ramping up to become a superpower in space exploration. Last month, the country unveiled the first detailed look at three technological components for its unmanned Mars mission in 2020. Renderings revealing the orbiter, lander, and rover were showed to the public.

China also plans to create a permanently manned radar station on the moon to monitor Earth. The country plans to put up a 50-meter-high radar that is capable of viewing larger areas of Earth compared to conventional satellites.

Tagsspace station, Space Lab, Satellite, Tiangong-2, china