Shenzhou XIX crew members in spacewalk

Shenzhou XIX mission crew members conducted their first spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, completing several assignments, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The agency said in a news release that mission commander Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe and crew member Lieutenant Colonel Song Lingdong returned to the Wentian science module at 9:57 pm after floating nine hours outside the colossal orbital station. The third crew member, Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haoze, stayed inside Tiangong to provide support, it said.

With support from ground controllers and the use of a robotic arm, the team completed all their assigned tasks, including installing space debris shield devices and checking the condition of extravehicular equipment, the agency said.