​Two Chinese “taikonauts” successfully made a six-hour extravehicular exit outside the space station “Tiangong” (“Heavenly Palace”). China’s space station consists of two modules and will be completed in October after the launch of the third module from Earth.

This is the first extravehicular exit of the Shenzhou 14 mission and was carried out by Chen Dong, 43, and Liu Yang, 43, both of whom have been on the Chinese station since June on a six-month mission.

They have implemented measures to better integrate the laboratory module of Wentian Station with other components.

Tyconauts tested a robotic arm, installed a camera, a small pump system and tested the procedure for an emergency return to the space station.

The station, which will be T-shaped, will have a maximum capacity of three astronauts, while the SSI can accommodate seven astronauts.

The Chinese, who sent the first man into space in 2003, have invested billions of dollars in the space program and made significant progress. In 2019, they installed a module on the far side of the moon, brought back samples of lunar soil, and landed a rover on the surface of Mars.

Only two other countries have ever built space stations: the USA and the USSR.

China decided to build its own space station after the US banned China’s participation in the ISS and all NASA projects.

Sources: AFP, CGTN, China Daily