Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have completed their extravehicular activities (EVAs) and returned to the space station core module Tianhe, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on early hours of Monday.
Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 7, 2021 shows Chinese taikonaut Wang Yaping conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe. Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have been out of China's space station core module Tianhe by 8:28 p.m. (Beijing Time) Sunday to start EVAs, the China Manned Space Agency said. Zhai opened the hatch of Tianhe's node cabin at 6:51 p.m. This is the second time Zhai has performed EVAs, having completed China's first spacewalk 13 years ago during the Shenzhou-7 mission. Meanwhile, Wang's EVAs make her the country's first female astronaut to leave footprints in outer space. Donning China-developed new-generation Feitian spacesuits, the pair will conduct a series of extravehicular tasks with the aid of the mechanical arm, the agency noted. Ye Guangfu stayed inside to support his crewmates in completing the operations. (Photo by Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua)
The event was the third extravehicular mission conducted during the construction of the country's space station and the first by the Shenzhou-13 crew. It also marks the first EVAs in Chinese space history involving a female taikonaut, said the agency, which has declared Monday's EVAs a complete success.
The pair returned to the core module at 1:16 a.m. (Beijing Time) after 6.5 hours of extravehicular activities. They completed a series of extravehicular tasks.
The mission further tested the functions of the China-developed new-generation extravehicular spacesuits, the coordination between the taikonauts and the mechanical arm, and the reliability and safety of supporting equipment related to the EVAs, the CMSA noted.
China launched the Shenzhou-13 spaceship on Oct. 16, sending three taikonauts on a six-month mission to construct its space station.
