First e-mail sent to astronauts

Astronauts in the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module received their first e-mail from Earth on Tuesday afternoon, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center confirmed.

The e-mail containing photos, text and videos was sent through a special communication channel between the control center and the lab module, a statement from the center said.

Through this communication channel, astronauts can maintain instant contact with Earth, which facilitates their work and contributes to the quality of their spare time, the statement said.