Shenzhou-19 Crew Sets New Record for Longest Spacewalk by Chinese Astronauts
Shenzhou-19 crew members aboard China's orbiting Tiangong Space Station successfully completed a marathon nine-hour spacewalk at 21:57 Beijing Time on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, setting a new long duration record for Chinese astronauts' extravehicular activities (EVAs).
The previous record for the longest spacewalk in Earth orbit was set by the Russian space agency Roscosmos after its cosmonauts completed a spacewalk lasting 8 hours and 13 minutes in 2018. It was set by Expedition 54 Commander Alexander Misurkin and Flight Engineer Anton Shkaplerov of the International Space Station.
At the end of the mission, before closing the hatch, the Shenzhou-19 crew expressed their joy at completing the mission and their gratitude to the ground team.
"Congratulations to 02 for completing your first spacewalk and moreover, for becoming the first Chinese astronaut born after 1990 to carry out EVAs. My appreciation also goes to the full collaboration of 03 inside the module, and to the extensive support of Shuguang and the entire technical team. From the assigned tasks to the more flexible assignments, we feel greater and greater confidence in conducting extravehicular activities. China's space station will always remain something to look forward to," said Cai, commander of Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission crew.
"I express my gratitude to 01, Shuguang, and all the ground staff. Today, our crew and the ground team worked together to make the extravehicular activities a success. As I admired the spectacular view in space, I felt deep in my heart how important and great a cause the manned spaceflight is. I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who dedicate themselves to this cause—those who were here before us and who are with us along the way. Thank you all for your hard work, so that we were given the chance to conduct a spacewalk. The cause of the manned spaceflight is a relay race, and we are in it every step of the way. Let us keep striving and head for the future together," said Song.
"Congratulations to 01 and 02 for successfully completing your talks. Both of you made breakthroughs and I'm proud of your excellent performance. Meanwhile, my thanks also go to Shuguang and all the staff who worked day and night on this mission. Everybody up in space and on Earth work as one in our exploration and joint efforts for a promising tomorrow. I wish everyone sweet dreams tonight," Wang said.
China launched the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship on Oct. 30, 2024, sending three astronauts—including the country's first female space engineer—to its orbiting space station for a six-month mission.
Duration: 2 minutes
Release Date: Dec. 17, 2024
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