An attempt to rescue 33 Chilean miners trapped deep underground will begin at midnight on Wednesday (0300 GMT), Mining Minister Laurence Golborne says.
A test of the rescue capsule has been carried out successfully, descending almost the whole way down the 622m (680yd) shaft, engineers say.
Earlier, the top 90m was reinforced with metal casing to prevent crumbling.
The miners have been trapped since a collapse in the mine on 5 August, but were reached by a drill on Saturday.
The "Plan B" drill that reached the miners left the San Jose mine, near the town of Copiapo, to a rousing reception on Monday.
The drill was driven away surrounded by crowds of photographers and cheers by hundreds of people across the site.
BBC News
