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]

China's lunar probe satellite Chang E II will lift off and fly into the moon's orbit at 18:59:57, Oct. 1 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, reports CCTV.

The final test and examination at the launch pad have been completed and the site is ready for the blast. If weather conditions don't meet the criteria on that day, a contingent plan will kick in and the space probe will be launched one or two days later.

The countdown timer has started for the launch, and more than 2,000 villagers living nearby have been evacuated for safety reasons.