Chinese Astronauts Perform First Spacewalk of Shenzhou-20 Mission
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May 22, 2025 Hour: 2:20 pm
The crew was launched into space in April and will remain in orbit for about six months.
On Thursday, astronauts from China’s Shenzhou-20 mission conducted their first extravehicular activity outside the Tiangong space station.
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During the eight-hour operation, crewmembers Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui exited the station via the Tianhe core module, while their teammate Wang Jie assisted from inside the station.
With the support of the station’s robotic arm and ground-based experts, the two astronauts installed a space debris shielding device that had previously been transferred via the cargo airlock. They also performed inspection and maintenance tasks on external equipment.
This marked the first time since the start of Tiangong’s application and development phase that astronauts exited through the core module’s node port. It was also the first instance in which a crewed spacewalk was directly coordinated with a prior cargo delivery.
Veteran astronaut Chen Dong, who previously took part in the Shenzhou-11 and Shenzhou-14 missions, returned to spacewalking after a two-year hiatus. For Chen Zhongrui, a first-time astronaut, it was his debut extravehicular activity.
The Shenzhou-20 crew was launched into space in April from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and will remain in orbit for about six months. During their mission, the three astronauts will conduct scientific experiments, technical tests and additional spacewalks.
The Tiangong space station orbits Earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometers and is designed to operate for at least 10 years. It is likely to become the only functioning space station in orbit if the U.S.-led International Space Station — which remains off-limits to China due to military restrictions — is retired as planned.
China has invested heavily in its space program, successfully landing the Chang’e 4 probe on the far side of the Moon for the first time. It is also working with Russia and other countries to build a scientific research base at the Moon’s south pole.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
