Shenzhou-17 Astronauts Complete First Spacewalk | China Space Station

Shenzhou-17 Astronauts Complete First Spacewalk | China Space Station

The Shenzhou-17 crew members aboard China's orbiting space station completed their first extravehicular activity at 9:35 p.m. (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.

During the 7.5-hour-long extravehicular activity (EVA), Shenzhou-17 commander Tang Hongbo, along with crew members Tang Shenjie and Jiang Xinlin, cooperated closely with the ground staff and used robotic arms to complete repairing the solar panels on the core module of the space station, reentering the station after completing their tasks.

Commander Tang, the first taikonaut to return to the China Space Station (CSS), made his second spacewalk after two years. Meanwhile, Tang Shenjie became the youngest taikonaut in China's history to carry out a spacewalk.

According to plan, the Shenzhou-17 crew will conduct a slew of scientific experiments and technology verification, as well as additional extravehicular activities and payload missions.

The taikonauts have been stationed at the space station for nearly a third of their six-month space mission. They completed the crew rotation with the Shenzhou-16 astronauts and have conducted tasks, including space station maintenance, life and health support, spacesuit inspection and testing, a Tianzhou-6 cargo ship equipment inspection and preparation for the upcoming spacewalk, according to the CMSA.

They also underwent robotic arm operation training, emergency life-saving, medical rescue, and full-system pressure emergency drills. Experiments in space science are advancing steadily.

Shenzhou-17 (神舟十七) Crew:

Hongbo Tang (汤洪波) - Commander 

Shengjie Tang (唐胜杰) - Mission Specialist

Xinlin Jiang  (江新林) - Mission Specialist

Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA)/China Central Television (CCTV)

Acknowledgement: SciNews

Duration: 1 minute, 20 seconds

Release Date: Dec. 21, 2023

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