China: Astronauts Complete 7 Hours of Extravehicular Activities

On Sunday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced that Shenzhou-12 spaceship crew had completed extravehicular activities (EVAs) and returned to the space station core module Tianhe.

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The first EVAs during the construction of the country's space station were a complete success. After approximately 7 hours of EVAs, the crew had completed all the scheduled tasks, and astronauts Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo returned to the space station core module at 2:57 p.m. (Beijing Time).

Astronaut Nie Haisheng stayed inside Tianhe in cooperation with Liu and Tang for their EVAs. This was the second time that Chinese astronauts have performed EVAs after the Shenzhou-7 mission in 2008.

The scheduled tasks of the EVAs, including equipment installation and panoramic camera lifting, were accomplished with close coordination between space and the ground, as well as between the astronauts inside and outside of the spacecraft.

The EVAs tested the performance and function of the new-generation homemade extravehicular mobility units and the coordination between the astronauts and the mechanical arm, as well as the reliability and safety of related EVA supporting equipment.

“This has laid an important foundation for subsequent extravehicular activities for the space station construction,” said the CMSA.

The three astronauts onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship were sent into space and entered Tianhe on June 17 and have since carried out a number of tasks as planned. Currently, they are in good health and will perform EVAs for a second time during their stay in orbit.