Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng and Zhu Yangzhu successfully completed the first Spacewalk of the Shenzhou 16 mission. The extravehicular activity (EVA) took place outside the Tiangong space station and lasted for approximately eight hours. Gui Haichao, another crewmate, operated the space station’s robotic arm from inside Tiangong.

The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) announced the completion of the spacewalk, which took place on July 20. The EVA was not broadcasted but was reported after the astronauts returned safely to Tiangong.

During the spacewalk, Jing and Zhu performed various tasks. They installed and lifted the support frame for a panoramic camera outside Tiangong’s core module, Tianhe. They also unlocked and lifted two panoramic cameras outside the Mengtian experiment module.

Jing Haipeng, the mission commander, is on his fourth trip to space, setting a national record. However, this was his first spacewalk. Zhu Yangzhu is the first flight engineer astronaut from China to engage in an EVA.

The Shenzhou 16 mission was launched on May 30 and is the fifth spaceflight to visit Tiangong throughout its construction and operational phases.

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