Tiangong crew installs shields, checks damaged window

The Shenzhou XXI mission crew aboard China's Tiangong space station conducted their first spacewalk on Tuesday, the China Manned Space Agency said.

Mission commander Senior Colonel Zhang Lu and spaceflight engineer Major Wu Fei returned to the Wentian science module at 6:45 pm after floating for nearly eight hours outside the orbital station, the agency said.

The third crew member, payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang, remained inside Tiangong to provide support.

With assistance from ground controllers and the use of a robotic arm, the team completed all assigned tasks, including installing space debris shields and replacing old instruments with new ones.

They also checked and photographed the windows of the Shenzhou XX spaceship's reentry capsule after one was damaged by a tiny piece of space debris, which led to the postponed return of the Shenzhou XX crew, the agency said.

The spacewalk was the 24th carried out by Chinese astronauts. Wu, 32, became the youngest spacewalker in China, surpassing Lieutenant Colonel Tang Shengjie, who made his first spacewalk at age 34.

The Shenzhou XXI crew is conducting China's 16th manned spaceflight and is the 10th group of residents aboard Tiangong, currently the only operational space station independently run by a single nation.

The three astronauts have been aboard the station for nearly 40 days since arriving on Nov 1. They have carried out examinations and maintenance work on instruments, checked emergency-response materials, and conducted emergency drills and robotic arm training.

The crew will conduct additional spacewalks and scientific tasks and may repair the broken window on the Shenzhou XX craft if necessary and feasible, the agency said.