In a stunning development, Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong made history with a record-breaking spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station, spending over nine hours performing extravehicular activities (EVA).
The spacewalk took place from late Monday night into Tuesday morning, as confirmed by China’s Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO).
This mission is part of the Shenzhou 19 expedition, which launched on October 29, 2023, and will last six months. The previous EVA duration record of eight hours and 56 minutes, held by NASA astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms since March 2001, was officially surpassed.
During the spacewalk, Cai and Song, with the assistance of their crewmate Wang Haoze inside the station, successfully installed a space debris protection device, inspected extravehicular equipment, and completed additional maintenance tasks. Their work was further supported by the space station’s robotic arm and ground-based scientists.
In a WeChat update, CMSEO officials hailed the mission as a “complete success.” Notably, Song Lingdong, at 34 years old, became the first Chinese astronaut born in the 1990s to conduct a spacewalk.
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The achievement marks a significant milestone for China’s space program, reinforcing its capabilities and growing presence in human spaceflight. With the Shenzhou 19 mission ongoing, China continues to advance its goal of expanding space exploration and research through the Tiangong space station.
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