VIDEO: Shenzhou-19 Crew Sets New Record For Longest Extravehicular Mission By Chinese Astronauts

The Shenzhou-19 crew members on board China's orbiting Tinagong space station successfully completed their first extravehicular activities (EVAs) at 21:57 Beijing Time on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze worked for around nine hours to complete their tasks, including the installation of the space station's debris protection device and the inspection of extravehicular equipment and facilities, with the assistance of a ground team and the space station's robotic arm. "The installation of the protective panels this time is mainly to protect the cables and pipelines of the thermal control equipment outside the Tianhe module from debris. During the development phase, the ground researchers conducted a full-process simulation verification of the entire task. The visibility, accessibility, and operability were all verified through ergonomic evaluations and underwater tests," explained Meng Lingzi, a staffer of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing on Tuesday.