Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Space
Space
Science
Andrew Jones

China's youngest space station crew send home spectacular views from space (video)

A white spacecraft is seen through the window of a space station, with earth in the background.

China's Shenzhou 17 astronauts are getting into the rhythms of life in orbit — and also sending back some choice clips of their activities.

Shenzhou 17 arrived at the Tiangong space station on Oct. 26, where they were greeted by the outgoing Shenzhou 16 mission crew.

Mission commander Tang Hongbo, a veteran of 2021's Shenzhou 12 mission, and rookie astronauts Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin have now been in orbit for three weeks and working well.

Related: Watch Chinese astronauts light a match on Tiangong station (video)

China's Shenzhou 17 spacecraft is shown here docked to the nation's Tiangong space station in late 2023. (Image credit: CCTV)

Their daily work includes moving equipment outside the space station for experiments, managing equipment and facilities and maintaining science facilities for long-term research, according to a report from Chinese broadcaster CCTV.

The Shenzhou 17 astronauts have also conducted "medical care skill training" to boost their physical fitness and meet the demands of living in orbit.

China's human spaceflight agency recently released footage of the crewmembers as they ate and exercised. The astronauts also captured their own footage, including a view of their Shenzhou 17 spacecraft docked with Tiangong. 

The trio are expected to spend another five months in orbit. They will welcome the arrival of a new cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou 7, in early 2024. They are also reported to soon conduct their first extravehicular activity, or spacewalk.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.