Shenzhou-19 crew members aboard China's orbiting space station completed their third extravehicular activities (EVAs) at 20:50 (Beijing Time) on Friday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze worked for more than seven hours to completing multiple tasks, including the installation of space-debris protection and auxiliary devices, and the checks of extravehicular components. They were assisted by the space station's robotic arm and a ground team in Beijing.
Cai and Song, the two crew members assigned for the EVAs duty, have returned safely to the Wentian lab module. Wang assisted the pair throughout the mission from the space station.
The spacewalk mission was a complete success, said the CMSA.
Cai, having completed his fifth extravehicular activity, now ranks first among Chinese astronauts in the number of spacewalks performed.
During their first extravehicular mission in December, the Shenzhou-19 crew spent over nine hours outside the Tiangong space station, the longest spacewalk by Chinese astronauts. They primarily installed protective devices for the external pipelines and cables of the Tianhe core module.
Their second spacewalk in January this year lasted about 8.5 hours and put a focus on strengthening the Wentian lab module.
The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission entered the Tiangong space station on Oct 30, 2024 for a six-month stay. They will return to Earth after another month.
China's Shenzhou-19 crew completes third extravehicular activities
China's Shenzhou-19 crew completes third extravehicular activities
China's Shenzhou-19 crew completes third extravehicular activities
