China's Shenzhou-18 crew completes first spacewalk, setting new record

The Shenzhou-18 crew aboard China's orbiting space station completed their first extravehicular activity (EVA) at 6:58 p.m. on Tuesday, setting a new record for the longest single spacewalk by Chinese astronauts, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

During their approximately 8.5-hour spacewalk, taikonauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu closely collaborated on tasks such as installing space debris protection devices and conducting inspections of extravehicular equipment and facilities.

The taikonauts accomplished their mission with the coordinated support of the space station's robotic arm and ground-based personnel. Ye and Li Guangsu, the two crew members assigned the spacewalk duty, have since returned safely to the Wentian lab module.

At 10:35 a.m., Ye and Li Guangsu opened the hatch door. Ye then mounted the robotic arm and, with Li Guangsu's assistance, received the equipment and was transported to the worksite to install items such as power protection racks. By 12:20 p.m., Li Guangsu had exited the cabin to join Ye in inspecting the station's exterior equipment and facilities.

This EVA marked the 15th spacewalk by Chinese astronauts during the space station's application and development phase. It was the first spacewalk for Li Guangsu, who operated the station's robotic arms during the walk, and the second for Ye following his initial outing on the Shenzhou-13 mission.

Li Xuedong, deputy chief designer of the space station system at the China Academy of Space Technology, told China Media Group (CMG) that, "Since the Shenzhou-17 mission, we have been carrying out long-term extravehicular maintenance and inspection tasks. During this spacewalk, we addressed issues with the debris protection system by installing a protective panel, which will reduce the risk of collisions with debris and meteoroids for key equipment during long-term operations."

The Shenzhou-18 crew will continue to conduct numerous scientific experiments, trials, spacewalks and payload deployment tasks. This mission represents another milestone in China's space exploration efforts, demonstrating the nation's growing expertise and capabilities in manned spaceflight.

Zhang Wanxin, director of the Spacesuit Engineering Office and deputy chief designer of the Astronaut System at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center, told CMG that, "This spacewalk involved many tasks, making it the most extensive inspection and photographic documentation conducted outside the cabin. Consequently, this spacewalk was also the longest in duration. The entire procedure was executed flawlessly, with the astronauts demonstrating exceptional precision and skill."

China has made significant strides in spacewalking capabilities in recent years. On September 27, 2008, astronaut Zhai Zhigang became the first Chinese person to venture outside the spacecraft during the Shenzhou-7 mission, completing a historic 19-minute spacewalk. 

The Shenzhou-15 crew set a new record for the most EVAs by a single Chinese crew, conducting a remarkable four spacewalks. Most recently, the Shenzhou-17 crew achieved another first by successfully performing in-orbit maintenance of extravehicular facilities during their eight-hour second spacewalk.

(CGTN reporter Zheng Yibing contributed to the story.)