China's Shenzhou-15 crew, who are currently living and working in the country's space station, opened the hatch of the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-6 on Friday, one day after it docked with the space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
At around 8:00 a.m., the crew opened the hatch of the cargo craft and started transferring packages.
The cargo craft is loaded with supplies for the upcoming Shenzhou-16 and Shenzhou-17 crews, as well as propellant for the space station, payloads for scientific applications and experiments, weighing over seven tonnes in total.
Shenzhou-15 crew moves out packages from Tianzhou-6 cargo craft, May 12, 2023. /CMG
The first task for the crews is to move the equipment carrying cell samples to the experiment cabinet in the Wentian module, as it requires strict time and temperature controls.
This equipment was installed in the cargo craft only five hours before the launch. The supplies for the crew include apparel, food, and water. In total, there are 70 kilograms of fresh fruit sent to the space station on this trip, twice the weight of what the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft carried.
Read more: Fruit feast? See what Tianzhou-6 is to take to China's space station