China's Shenzhou-20 astronauts complete third series of EVAs

The Shenzhou-20 crew on board China's orbiting space station completed their mission's third series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) on Friday, said the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The trio, consisting of commander Chen Dong and taikonauts Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, successfully completed the assigned work at 10:47 p.m. Beijing Time after approximately 6.5 hours of collaborative work, supported by the in-orbit robotic arm and the ground control team, said the CMSA.

During the EVAs, Chen Dong and Wang Jie carried out tasks including installing debris protection shields for the space station, setting up auxiliary extravehicular facilities, and conducting inspections of external equipment and facilities. Chen has now completed six EVAs, becoming the taikonaut with the most extravehicular missions to date.

The crew has completed half of their spaceflight mission, making steady progress in various space science experiments. Next, they will focus on a range of space research and technology experiments, covering areas such as space life sciences, microgravity fundamental physics, space materials science, aerospace medicine and advanced aerospace technologies.