Chinese astronauts Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui performed a second extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Tiangong space station on June 26th. This marked their second spacewalk in just five weeks, showcasing the rapid pace of activity at the burgeoning orbital outpost.
The spacewalk commenced at 3:04 a.m. Eastern Time (0704 UTC) when Chen Zhongrui opened the Wentian module hatch. Chen Dong, mission commander, joined him two hours later. Wang Jie, from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), provided support from inside Tiangong. Their tasks included installing debris protective shielding and inspecting and installing extravehicular equipment.
Significant improvements were evident. Newly installed automated foot restraint adapters and interface adapters on Tiangong’s robotic arm platform reduced the EVA time by approximately 40 minutes. Li Xuedong, lead designer of the space station system at the CASC, explained to CCTV, “In the previous spacewalks, astronauts had to install foot limiter and operation platform on the robotic arm’s end effector before and after exiting the module, and then rely on the arm to transport them to the work site.”
The 6.5-hour spacewalk concluded at 9:29 a.m. Eastern Time (1329 UTC). This EVA follows a previous eight-hour spacewalk on May 22nd, also involving debris shielding installation.
The Shenzhou-20 mission, launched April 24th, is a six-month endeavor involving a wide range of scientific experiments in space life sciences, microgravity physics, and new space technology. The crew have utilized a Raman spectrometer for experiments on microbiota and nutrition metabolism, worked on maintenance of resistance exercise equipment and the station’s life support systems, and interacted with the “Xiao Hang” spaceflight robot.
The mission also includes significant international outreach. In early June, the crew engaged with 300 Hungarian students, scientists, and government officials in Budapest during a “Tiangong Classroom” event, highlighting China’s growing soft power in space exploration.
Looking ahead, preparations are underway for the launch of the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft, expected no earlier than July 14th. China is also developing a new-generation Mengzhou spacecraft capable of carrying 6-7 astronauts, signifying the ambitious expansion of the Tiangong space station.