The Tiangong space station is a Chinese space station in low Earth orbit, and is operated by the China Manned Space Agency. Extravehicular activities are crucial for both the construction and maintenance of the station. Zhai Zhigang completed the first Chinese spacewalk in 2008, during the Shenzhou 7 mission. Since then, every other Chinese spacewalk has been carried out at the Tiangong space station.
*denotes spacewalks performed from the Tianhe core module
^denotes spacewalks performed from the Wentian module
# | Mission | Spacewalkers | Start (UTC) | End (UTC) | Duration |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Shenzhou 12 EVA 1 * | Liu Boming Tang Hongbo | 4 July 2021 00:11 | 4 July 2021 06:57 | 6 hours, 46 minutes |
Tested an updated version of the Feitian space suit, completed installation of the station's robotic arm, and installed exterior equipment for use on future missions, including a camera lifting bracket. [1] [2] | |||||
2. | Shenzhou 12 EVA 2 * | Nie Haisheng Liu Boming | 20 August 2021 00:38 | 20 August 2021 06:33 | 5 hours, 55 minutes |
Tested spacecraft equipment, installed a backup thermal control pump, and installed and raised panoramic camera D. [3] | |||||
3. | Shenzhou 13 EVA 1 * | Zhai Zhigang Wang Yaping | 7 November 2021 11:28 | 7 November 2021 17:16 | 5 hours, 48 minutes |
Installed a dual-arm connector to the station's robotic arm along with testing EVA equipment. Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to perform an EVA. [4] [5] | |||||
4. | Shenzhou 13 EVA 2 * | Ye Guangfu Zhai Zhigang | 26 December 2021 10:44 | 26 December 2021 16:55 | 6 hours, 11 minutes |
Installed panoramic camera C, installed a foot restraint, and tested methods of moving objects outside of the station. [6] | |||||
5. | Shenzhou 14 EVA 1 ^ | Chen Dong Liu Yang | 1 September 2022 10:26 | 1 September 2022 16:33 | 6 hours, 7 minutes |
Installed an extended pump set on the exterior of Wentian, raised panoramic camera B, installed an exterior workbench, and tested procedures for an emergency return to the station. [7] | |||||
6. | Shenzhou 14 EVA 2 ^ | Chen Dong Cai Xuzhe | 17 September 2022 05:35 | 17 September 2022 09:47 | 4 hours, 12 minutes |
Installed EVA foot restraints and exterior workbenches, worked on the extended pump set, and verified EVA rescue capabilities. [8] | |||||
7. | Shenzhou 14 EVA 3 ^ | Chen Dong Cai Xuzhe | 17 November 2022 03:16 | 17 November 2022 08:50 | 5 hours, 34 minutes |
Installed an inter-chamber connection device between Tianhe and Mengtian, raised panoramic A on Wentian, and installed a small mechanical arm power-assisted handle. [9] | |||||
8. | Shenzhou 15 EVA 1 ^ | Fei Junlong Zhang Lu | 9 February 2023 09:10 | 9 February 2023 16:16 | 7 hours, 6 minutes |
Tasks included the installation of a fourth external pump (Z01-04) on Mengtian and other tasks related to Mengtian's payload airlock. [10] | |||||
9. | Shenzhou 15 EVA 2 ^ | Fei Junlong Zhang Lu | c. 28 February 2023 | c. 28 February 2023 | Unknown |
Tasks completed were not revealed publicly and no announcement was given prior to the spacewalk. Rumors suggest it took place on February 28, however no date was officially given. [11] Taikonauts installed electrical equipment, according to some Chinese-language sources. [12] | |||||
10. | Shenzhou 15 EVA 3 ^ | Fei Junlong Zhang Lu | c. 30 March 2023 | c. 30 March 2023 | Unknown |
Tasks completed were not revealed publicly and no announcement was given prior to the spacewalk. Rumors suggest it took place on March 30, however no date was officially given. Taikonauts installed and connected cables across the cabin. [13] | |||||
11. | Shenzhou 15 EVA 4 ^ | Fei Junlong Zhang Lu | c. 15 April 2023 | c. 15 April 2023 | Unknown |
Tasks completed were not revealed publicly and no announcement was given prior to the spacewalk. Rumors suggest it took place on 15 April, however no date was officially given. Taikonauts disposed of trash bags, completed the installation of the fifth extended pump (Z02-01) set on Mengtian, installed and connected cross-cabin cables, and installed the external load exposure platform and support brackets for later science and technology experiments. [13] | |||||
12. | Shenzhou 16 EVA 1 ^ | Jing Haipeng Zhu Yangzhu | 20 July 2023 05:45 | 20 July 2023 13:40 | 7 hours, 55 minutes |
Taikonauts installed & lifted the bracket for Tianhe panoramic camera B and unlocked & lifted panoramic camera A/B on Mengtian. Zhu Yangzhu became first Chinese flight engineer to conduct an extravehicular activity. [14] | |||||
13. | Shenzhou 17 EVA 1 ^ | Tang Hongbo Tang Shengjie | 21 December 2023 6:10 | 21 December 2023 13:35 | 7 hours, 25 minutes |
Tasks included a repair test of the Tianhe core module's solar panels, which have sustained minor damage caused by impacts of space debris and micrometeoroids. [15] | |||||
14. | Shenzhou 17 EVA 2 ^ | Tang Hongbo Jiang Xinlin | 1 March 2024 21:40 | 2 March 2024 05:32 | 7 hours, 52 minutes |
Tasks included maintenance of the solar panels of the Tianhe core module, which have sustained minor damage caused by impacts of space debris and micrometeoroids; evaluation and analysis of the performance status of the solar panel power generation and also inspection of the status of the space station modules. [16] | |||||
15. | Shenzhou 18 EVA 1 ^ | Ye Guangfu Li Guangsu | 28 May 2024 02:35 | 28 May 2024 10:58 | 8 hours, 23 minutes |
Longest Chinese spacewalk to date. Tasks included installing space debris protection shields and conducting inspections of extravehicular equipment and facilities. [17] | |||||
16. | Shenzhou 18 EVA 2 ^ | Ye Guangfu Li Cong | 3 July 2024 07:21 | 3 July 2024 14:51 | 6 hours, 30 minutes |
Tasks included installing further space debris protection shields on pipelines, cables, and other equipment, and inspecting the exterior of the station. | |||||
17. | Shenzhou 19 EVA 1 ^ | Cai Xuzhe Song Lingdong | 18 December 2024 04:51 | 18 December 2024 13:57 | 9 hours, 6 minutes |
The two astronauts completed the longest spacewalk in human history with the assistance of the space station's robotic arms and ground-based scientific personnel, completed tasks such as the installation of space debris protection devices, inspection, and maintenance of external equipment and facilities. [18] |
As of 2024, the People's Republic of China has sent three women to space: Liu Yang, Wang Yaping and Wang Haoze all of whom are taikonauts in the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC). Liu Yang, China's first female taikonaut, first flew in 2012 aboard Shenzhou 9, and since then four additional missions have included female crew members: Shenzhou 10, 13, 14 and 19. According to the China National Space Administration, many women also hold leadership positions in the Chinese space program, and actively contribute to the Chinese space effort.
Liu Boming is a major general in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF). A fighter pilot in the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), he was selected into the PLA Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) in 1998. A Shenzhou 7 veteran, he also worked on the Tiangong space station during the Shenzhou 12 mission from June to September 2021.
Shenzhou 7 was the third human spaceflight mission of the Chinese space program. The mission, which included the first Chinese extra-vehicular activity (EVA) carried out by crew members Zhai Zhigang and Liu Boming, marked the commencement of the second phase of the Chinese government's Project 921.
Tiangong, officially the Tiangong space station, is a permanently crewed space station constructed by China and operated by China Manned Space Agency. Tiangong is a modular design, with modules docked together while in low Earth orbit, between 340 and 450 km above the surface. It is China's first long-term space station, part of the Tiangong program and the core of the "Third Step" of the China Manned Space Program; it has a pressurised volume of 340 m3, slightly over one third the size of the International Space Station. The space station aims to provide opportunities for space-based experiments and a platform for building capacity for scientific and technological innovation.
The Feitian space suit is an extravehicular space suit design developed and used by the China Manned Space Program. It provides life support, environmental protection, and communications for taikonauts during extravehicular activity (EVA).
Chen Dong is a Chinese fighter pilot and taikonaut selected as part of the Shenzhou program. A fighter pilot in the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), he was selected to be a CNSA taikonaut in 2010.
The year 2023 saw rapid growth and significant technical achievements in spaceflight. For the third year in a row, new world records were set for both orbital launch attempts (223) and successful orbital launches (211). The growth in orbital launch cadence can in large part be attributed to SpaceX, as they increased their number of launches from 61 in 2022 to 98 in 2023. The deployment of the Starlink satellite megaconstellation was a major contributing factor to this increase over previous years. This year also featured numerous maiden launches of new launch vehicles. In particular, SSLV, Qaem 100, Tianlong-2, Chollima-1,and Zhuque-2 performed their first successful orbital launch, while SpaceX's Starship – the world's largest rocket – launched two times during its development stage: IFT-1 and IFT-2.
Shenzhou 13 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 15 October 2021. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the eighth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the thirteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.
Shenzhou 12 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 17 June 2021. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the seventh crewed Chinese spaceflight and the twelfth flight overall of the Shenzhou program. It was the first flight to Tiangong, and the first Chinese crewed spaceflight since Shenzhou 11 in 2016.
Shenzhou 14 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 5 June 2022. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the ninth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the fourteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.
Shenzhou 15 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 29 November 2022. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the tenth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the fifteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.
Cai Xuzhe is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut selected as part of the Shenzhou program.
Shenzhou 16 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 30 May 2023. It carried two People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts and a payload specialist from Beihang University on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the eleventh crewed Chinese spaceflight and the sixteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.
Shenzhou 17 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 26 October 2023. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the twelfth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the seventeenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.
Tang Shengjie is a Chinese pilot selected as part of the Shenzhou program. He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in September 2008.
Jiang Xinlin is a Chinese pilot selected as part of the Shenzhou program. He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in September 2006.
Shenzhou 18 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 25 April 2024. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the thirteenth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the eighteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.
Song Lingdong is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut selected as part of the Shenzhou program.
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