Day five for the two Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong-2 space lab was highlighted by the launch of the Banxing-2 microsatellite to be used for photpgraphy and technology demonstrations.

Banxing-2 (the word means Companion Satellite) is a small technology microsatellite that will capture images of Tiangong-2 in orbit and also monitor orbital debris. Its predecessor, Banxing-1, accomplished the same mission for Shenzhou 7 in September 2008. It weighs 47 kilograms and is the about the size of a desktop printer.

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By the end of this month, Banxing-2 will orbit closer to Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou-11 and take photos of both machines with its 25 megapixel high-resolution full-frame visible light camera. It also carries fisheye cameras.

Apart from being Tiangong-2's official photographer, Banxing-2 will conduct efficient orbit control; process tasks autonomously and transmit data at high speeds, said Chinese media.

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong are now on their fifth day aboard Tiangong-2. They've already carried out a number of science experiments during their short time in space. The two men will live inside Tiangong-2 for an entire month.

Yesterday, the men conducted experiments in China's space lab and sending data back down to earth. The two men regularly check their emails using a computer that they brought into outer space. They keep in touch with the deputy director of China's Manned Space Office and China's first astronaut, Yang Liwei.

"The work on the lab is going exactly as planned. From the data we have received, life up there -- including water intake, food consumption and the health condition -- is all good," said Yang.

Yang said it isn't easy working in space. It takes more time to conduct some experiments than on earth. The two astronauts work in collaboration with their mission control. They rest one day a week.

"We are giving more freedom to the astronauts. We give them their work, and they decide how to complete the tasks over an 8-hour work day," said Yang.

TagsBanxing-2, microsatellite, Tiangong-2, Jing Haipeng, Chen Dong, Shenzhou-7