The Shenzhou-19 crew members aboard China's orbiting space station made history on Tuesday by completing a record-breaking nine-hour spacewalk at 9:57 p.m. Beijing Time, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). 🛰️
This extravehicular activity (EVA) marks not only the longest spacewalk ever by Chinese astronauts but also the first EVA by a Chinese astronaut born in 1990.
The mission was led by astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, with Wang Haoze providing crucial support from inside the station. Together, they installed space-debris protection devices with the help of the station's robotic arm and ground-based teams. 🤖
At the conclusion of the mission, before closing the hatch, the Shenzhou-19 crew shared their excitement and gratitude for the successful mission and the support they received from the ground team.
\"Congratulations to 02 (Song Lingdong) for completing your first spacewalk and becoming the first Chinese astronaut born after 1990 to carry out EVAs. My appreciation also goes to the full collaboration of 03 (Wang Haoze) inside the module, and to the extensive support of Shuguang and the entire technical team,\" said Cai, commander of the Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission crew.
Cai added, \"From the assigned tasks to the more flexible assignments, we feel greater and greater confidence in conducting extravehicular activities. China's space station will always remain something to look forward to.\" 🌟
This EVA marks Cai's second spacewalk, following his initial EVAs during the Shenzhou-14 mission two years ago. Song made history as the first Chinese astronaut born in 1990 to perform an EVA.
Looking forward, the Shenzhou-19 crew is scheduled to conduct a series of space-science experiments and technical tests. They will also undertake additional extravehicular activities and install new payloads outside the space station, as per the CMSA. 🧪🔧
