Retired extravehicular spacesuit returns to Earth via Shenzhou XX spaceship

JIUQUAN -- The return capsule of the Shenzhou XX spaceship, carrying no astronauts, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Monday, bringing back a valuable retired extravehicular spacesuit as part of its return cargo.

The suit, dubbed extravehicular spacesuit B, is the first of its kind on China's space station to achieve the lifespan extension goal of supporting 20 extravehicular activities (EVAs) within four years.

Before the suit left China's space station, astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang from the Shenzhou XXI crew bid farewell to this special "comrade-in-arms" in a video report by China Media Group on Monday.

"Today we are seeing off an old comrade that has made tremendous contributions to the space station's extravehicular activities," said astronaut Zhang Lu. "I personally wore it during four EVAs as part of the Shenzhou-15 mission. It accompanied us in setting what was then the record for the most extravehicular activities by a single crew."

"Thank you, this suit of remarkable service ... You've worked hard," Zhang Lu added.

An extravehicular spacesuit serves as core equipment for astronauts during EVAs in space, ensuring their safety and enabling efficient operations outside the cabin.

Extravehicular suit B was delivered to space aboard the Tianzhou 2 cargo spacecraft on May 29, 2021, and was first used in the extravehicular activities at China's space station in July that year, China Media Group reported.

During its time on the space station, suit B was used by 11 astronauts across eight manned missions.

On Aug 15, 2025, during the third round of extravehicular activities of the Shenzhou XX mission, astronaut Chen Dong wore the suit to complete its 20th extravehicular tasks, marking the fulfillment of its target goal.

Chen, who used the suit the most, for a total of six EVAs, shared his views: "I should say I have deep feelings for this suit. From the first time I wrote my name on its back, we built a kind of bond. I took care of it and it protected me."

"I feel fortunate that we completed the 20th extravehicular activities together, fulfilling our mission with honor," said Chen. "Congratulations on your glorious retirement! Thank you. China's manned space program will remember you."

After the return capsule of the Shenzhou XX spaceship landed at the Dongfeng landing site on Monday morning, on-site inspections confirmed that the return capsule's overall appearance was normal and that items inside were in good condition, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The Shenzhou XX crewed spacecraft was launched on April 24, 2025. Its return was postponed in early November due to a suspected space debris impact incident, and it remained in orbit to conduct related experiments.

"With the return of the Shenzhou XX spaceship, all main tasks of the space emergency response for China's space station have been successfully completed," the CMSA announced.