During a 6.5-hour spacewalk, Shenzhou-20 astronauts completed vital inspections and installed protective equipment on China's space station, demonstrating improved efficiency in extravehicular operations and collecting crucial thermal data.
The spacewalk, which took place Friday, represented the Shenzhou-20 crew's third series of extravehicular activities since boarding the space station.
According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), crew members Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie worked for approximately six-and-a-half hours and completed all related tasks at 22:47 Beijing time, assisted by the space station's robotic arm and a ground control team.
At around 16:00 on Friday, astronaut Chen Dong opened the airlock and stepped out of the Wentian lab module, marking his sixth extravehicular mission and making him the Chinese astronaut with the most spacewalks to date.
Chen was positioned at the end of the station's robotic arm using a newly-installed automated foot restraint, while astronaut Wang Jie remained inside and passed equipment to him. According to space engineers, the restraint made a significant impact on the operations.
"Last time we installed the automated foot restraint for the first time, and this spacewalk was the first time we used it to carry out tasks. It has clearly increased our operational efficiency," said Liang Xiaofeng, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
With the robotic arm in motion, Chen was able to inspect external parts of the station with a camera and thermal imager.
At around 16:50, astronaut Wang Jie joined Chen Dong in space. It was Wang's first spacewalk, making him the second Chinese aerospace flight engineer to perform an extravehicular mission. Inside the Tianhe core module, Chen Zhongrui provided vital support.
On the ground, Liang emphasized that the spacewalk has played a role in advancing China's ambitious plans for future space exploration.
"The main goal of this spacewalk was to identify thermal characteristics of key external equipment and critical components. This allows us to better understand their operational conditions and collect detailed data, which also supports future spacecraft design and advancing our thermal control technologies," the space engineer said.
After completing installations of debris protection measures and auxiliary structural components, as well as inspection of external equipment and systems on the station's exterior, Chen Dong and Wang Jie safely returned to the Tianhe core module by 22:47 Beijing time.
The Shenzhou-20 astronauts entered the Tiangong space station on April 25 this year and have now completed half of their spaceflight journey.
Shenzhou-20 astronauts perform critical work during 3rd spacewalk
Shenzhou-20 astronauts perform critical work during 3rd spacewalk
