Two Chinese astronauts have performed their first spacewalk on China’s new orbital station. The astronauts exited the space laboratory to set up a 15-meter (50-foot) long robotic arm. Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo were shown going out of the airlock as our planet rolled past below them. The third crew member, Nie Haisheng, who is also the commander of the mission, stayed inside the space station.
The astronauts reached the space station on June 17 for a three-month mission aboard China’s newly-constructed space station. It is a part of the ambitious space program that involves landing a rover on the Red Planet in May. The mission will also mark the 100th anniversary of the ruling Communist Party.
11 more missions to be launched
The first module of the station called Tianhe was launched on April 29 and was followed by an automated spacecraft carrying fuel and food. Later, the crew of three astronauts arrived aboard a Shenzhou capsule.
The new robotic arm installed during the spacewalk will be used to assemble the rest of the station, reports state media. State TV reported that the spacesuits are specifically designed to help astronauts work in the vacuum of space for up to 6 hours if required.
The Chinese space agency has plans to launch a total of 11 missions by the end of 2022, which will involve the addition of two more modules to the 70-ton station.
6,000 hours of training before mission
Nie is the oldest astronaut to go into space. The other two members have been members of the Chinese military. The astronauts were put through more than 6,000 hours of training such as underwater somersaults with full gear. This allowed them to get accustomed to their suits for spacewalks. They also simulated repair jobs underwater for several hours.
Besides, China is also joining hands with Russia to build an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). IT was confirmed that the new lunar space station might involve other stakeholders, private space firms, and other countries as well. This could clash with NASA’s Artemis program that also involves building a space gateway on the Moon.
