Two Chinese astronauts have set a new world record for the longest spacewalk, surpassing the previous record held by the United States.

Science and Technology

According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), two Chinese astronauts from the Shenzhou-19 mission, aboard the Tiangong Space Station (TSS), have successfully completed their first Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) (spacewalks) lasting 9 hours. This achievement has set a new world record for the longest spacewalk duration.


      - Mission Commander Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong carried out this historic spacewalk outside the Tiangong Space Station while in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).

      - The spacewalk lasted longer than the previous record of 8 hours and 56 minutes, set in 2001 by NASA astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms.

      - Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, wearing second-generation "Feitian" spacesuits, successfully completed tasks such as installing debris protection on the Tiangong Space Station's (TSS) exterior, showcasing significant advancements over the first-generation suits used during China's first spacewalk in 2008.

Main Point :-   (i) With this spacewalk, Song Lingdong became the first Chinese astronaut born in the 1990s to complete an Extravehicular Activity (EVA).

      (ii) This was the second spacewalk for Mission Commander Cai Xuzhe, who had previously completed a 5.5-hour spacewalk during the Shenzhou-14 mission in November 2022.

(iii) In 1965, the former Soviet Union became the first country to carry out a spacewalk, which lasted about 12 minutes.

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