"It was a great honor to take part in the country's first spacewalk," Liu recalled. "We had difficulties, but we were determined to accomplish our task and wave the national flag in outer space, no matter what."

Tang Hongbo, who will embark on his first trip to space, said at the meeting that he has been undergoing demanding training for 11 years and has passed through many rounds and tests to qualify for the Shenzhou XII mission.

"This will be my first mission, so I do feel the pressure," he told reporters. "But I'm convinced that will translate into motivation, and our confidence is a guarantee of success."

The crew will unite and work hard to build China's space station, which Tang called a "home in the space for the Chinese nation", adding that he is looking forward to seeing his "beautiful motherland and hometown" when the craft flies over China.