Shenzhou-19 Astronauts Complete Third Spacewalk on Tiangong Station
China’s Shenzhou-19 crew successfully completed their third spacewalk on Friday, as part of their mission aboard the Tiangong space station. The operation concluded at 20:50 Beijing Time, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze spent around seven hours completing a range of extravehicular tasks. These included installing protection against space debris, setting up support equipment outside the station, and conducting equipment checks. They were supported by the space station’s robotic arm and mission control teams on Earth.
Cai Sets New Record for Spacewalks
Cai Xuzhe has now completed five extravehicular missions, the most by any Chinese astronaut to date. The spacewalk began at 13:45, when Cai opened the hatch and exited the module. He climbed onto the robotic arm, while Song Lingdong passed him the airlock protective device from the hatch.
Cai then rode the robotic arm to the work area and installed the protective device. Two hours later, Song also exited the cabin and moved to the node module’s handrail. Working together, Cai and Song installed additional protection for the Wentian lab module and the airlock module. They also installed a base for securing the node module.
Tasks Completed with Precision and Teamwork on Shenzhou-19
While Cai and Song performed tasks outside, Wang Haoze remained inside the Tianhe core module to assist. Cai later used the robotic arm to reach inspection points and conducted visual checks on the space station’s docking interface.
Once all the tasks were finished, both astronauts returned safely to the Wentian lab module. The CMSA confirmed that the operations went smoothly and were completed more quickly than expected.
Wang Yanlei from the China Astronaut Research and Training Center praised the team’s performance. He said the astronauts were well-coordinated, and the work was completed with precision and speed.
Mission Progress and Return Timeline
The Shenzhou-19 crew has spent nearly five months aboard the Tiangong space station. So far, their scientific experiments and technical tests have proceeded without issue. The crew is expected to return to Earth in just over a month.
with inputs from Reuters
