If successful, the Chang'e-2 probe will become the 58th satellite to be launched from the center, Guangzhou Daily reported.

A photo taken on Saturday, September 25, 2010, shows the Chang'e-2 satellite, carried by the Long March 3C rocket, in the No.2 Launching Tower in the Xichang Satellite Launching Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. [CFP]

According to the newspaper, Xichang is currently shrouded in clouds and rain, but the sky is forecast to clear up starting on Thursday.

Local tour agencies plan to cash in on the occasion, offering a one-day tour for 800 yuan ($119), which includes watching the launch of the second lunar probe within 3 kilometers of the site.

The launch center was due to draw up an evacuation plan on Monday. As a safety precaution, all residents within 2.5 km of the site will be required to vacate the area as the rocket carrying the probe blasts off, Chengdu-based West China Metropolis Daily reported.

Chang'e-2 will test key soft-landing technologies for the Chang'e-3 and provide high-resolution photographs of the landing area, space authorities said.

"It is estimated Chang'e-2 can reach lunar orbit within five days, compared to 13 days, 14 hours and 19 minutes for Chang'e-1," Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist at the China Lunar Exploration Project, told Xinhua News Agency.

Chang'e-2 will also orbit 100 km closer to the moon and carry a higher resolution camera, he added.