Two Chinese astronauts successfully conducted a spacewalk on Saturday outside the new space station, which is scheduled for completion later this year. The local news agency "Xinhua" reported that the China Manned Space Agency stated that astronauts Cai Xuzhe and his colleague Chen Dong exited the laboratory unit of the Wentian space station to carry out extravehicular activities, including walking in space.
This marks the second time astronauts from the "Shenzhou 14" mission have performed extravehicular activities. With the help of a small robotic arm, the astronauts will carry out a series of tasks outside the vehicle, including installing assistive handles. They will also verify the capability for rescue activities outside the spacecraft, according to the same source.
During the spacewalk, the third astronaut, Liu Yang, remained inside the spacecraft to support them. Three more astronauts will join them near the end of the mission, marking the first time six people will be onboard the Chinese station "Wentian."
China became the third country to send a person into space in 2003, following the former Soviet Union and the United States. It has sent rovers to the Moon and Mars and returned lunar samples to Earth. On September 2, Chen Dong and Liu Yang completed the first extravehicular activities for the "Shenzhou 14" crew and returned to the "Wentian."
