Two Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, have set a new world record for the longest single spacewalk, completing a nine-hour EVA on Tuesday. This achievement surpasses the previous record of eight hours and 56 minutes held by American astronauts since 2001. The mission highlights advancements in China's space program and the capabilities of new "Feitian" spacesuits. The Shenzhou-19 crew is scheduled to return to Earth in 2025.
In an impressive achievement for China's space program, two astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station have established a new world record for the longest single spacewalk. On Tuesday at 9:57 PM Beijing time, Shenzhou-19 crew members Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong completed a remarkable nine-hour extravehicular activity (EVA), as reported by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
This milestone surpasses the previous record, held for over twenty years, which was set on March 11, 2001, by American astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms, who spent eight hours and 56 minutes outside the space shuttle Discovery during a mission to the International Space Station, according to NASA.
The nine-hour EVA not only represents a significant achievement in the realm of space exploration but also marks a key moment in China’s history of spacewalks. Earlier this year, Shenzhou-18 astronauts Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu completed a successful EVA, spending eight hours and 23 minutes outside the Tiangong.
State broadcaster CCTV highlighted that the second-generation “Feitian” spacesuits used during this recent EVA are designed for enhanced performance, allowing astronauts to work outside for up to eight hours—twice the capacity of the earlier model. China's first spacewalk took place in September 2008, when astronaut Zhai Zhigang ventured outside the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft for just under 20 minutes, wearing a first-generation Feitian suit.
Footage broadcast from the Tiangong at the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre showed Cai and Song exiting the Wentian lab module, securely tethered to the station with two-meter safety cables. Their efforts were supported by crewmate Wang Haozhe, who remained inside the station, alongside the Tiangong’s robotic arms and ground control teams. The CMSA proudly declared the EVA a “full success.”
This mission is particularly noteworthy for Song, a former fighter pilot with the PLA Air Force, who has now become the first Chinese astronaut born in the 1990s to conduct a spacewalk. For mission commander Cai, this record-setting EVA marks his second outing at Tiangong; he previously completed a 5½-hour spacewalk in November 2022 during the Shenzhou-14 mission.
The Shenzhou-19 mission promises more exciting developments ahead, including additional EVAs and a series of scientific experiments and technical tests, as outlined by the CMSA. The crew, which arrived at Tiangong in late October, is set to return to Earth in late April or early May 2025, landing at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia.
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