Sciences. Fourth spacewalk to build China’s space station

Madrid, 27 years old (European press)

Two astronauts from the Shenzhou 13 mission have completed their second activity outside the Tianhe Central Module of the Chinese space station under construction.

As reported Monday by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), this is the fourth spacewalk by astronauts to build the station, called Tiangong (Sky Palace).

It lasted for six hours, and Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu completed tasks such as raising the panoramic camera and testing the equipment transmission system.

“EVAs (Extravehicular Activities) further tested the function and performance of the center console’s airlock cabin, extravehicular suit, and mechanical arm, and evaluated EVA-related technologies, astronaut coordination on and off the space station, and space-ground coordination,” CMSA explained, Quoted from Xinhua.

The Shenzhou-13 crew will continue their work in orbit to welcome the upcoming New Year. CMSA added that this is the first time that Chinese astronauts have welcomed the New Year in space.

CMSA notes that extravehicular operations have become the normal business of space station flight missions. Chinese astronauts will carry out more and more complex extravehicular activities to provide strong support for the completion of the construction and stable operation of the space station.

China launched the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft on October 16, sending three astronauts on a six-month mission to build its space station. The crew conducted their first EVA on November 7.