Shenzhou-21 crew completes third spacewalk, mission to be extended by 1 month

The Shenzhou-21 crew aboard China's space station successfully completed their third series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) on Friday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The astronaut trio – Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang – completed their tasks at 1:36 a.m. after about 5.5 hours of close cooperation, assisted by the space station's robotic arm and the ground team.

During the spacewalk, they completed the installation of a space debris protection device and conducted inspections of the space station's exterior equipment and facilities, along with other tasks.

Zhang Lu has now performed seven EVAs, setting a new record for the most EVAs by a Chinese astronaut.

Since completing their second series of EVAs on March 16, the Shenzhou-21 crew have steadily advanced experiment and tests in fields including space life science and human research, and microgravity physics, and have continuously carried out environmental monitoring, equipment inspection and maintenance, as well as material management. They completed a full-system emergency pressure drills, in-orbit emergency rescue training and EVA preparations.

The three astronauts have been in orbit for more than five months, all in good working and living conditions.

To further validate technologies for long-term stays in space and to maximize the benefits of the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft's emergency resupply mission to the space station, after careful evaluation and assessment, it is planned to extend the crew's in-orbit stay by about one month.

During their following journey, the crew will continue to carry out relevant scientific experiments and technical tests, and celebrate China's Space Day and the International Labor Day in orbit.