Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Image credit: CMSA/CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab

The Shenzhou-15 trio of taikonauts are settling in aboard China’s Tiangong space station.

Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu were sent into space in late November and are busily at work on the nearly completed three-module orbital outpost.

During their projected six-month mission, the trio will carry out tests related to long-term residence in China’s space station.

Experiment cabinets

As reported by China Central Television (CCTV), they will also unlock, install and test 15 scientific experiment cabinets, and carry out more than 40 experiments and tests in the fields of space science research and application, space medicine and space technology.

Image credit: Shujianyang Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Additionally, three to four rounds of extravehicular activities (EVAs) are planned during their stay. On tap is installation of the Mengtian lab module extended pump sets and the exposure payload platform.

Cargo exit tasks

The crew is set to verify the exit mode of the cargo airlock cabin of the Mengtian module, and cooperate with the ground to complete six cargo exit tasks, CCTV reports.

Also on the work list, the Shenzhou-15 crew will perform regular platform testing, maintenance, and space station affairs management. In addition, the crew will carry out in-orbit health protection exercises, training and drills.

Onboard for a projected 6 month period, the astronauts are to kick off the first stage of space station application and development.