China’s Shenzhou-15 crew astronauts have completed three spacewalks since it began its mission in space four months ago, the China Manned Space Flight Agency (AVETCh) reported.
The third spacewalk took place on Thursday by astronauts Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu, working with astronaut Deng Qingming from inside the space station. The couple completed all their scheduled tasks before safely returning to the Wentian laboratory module, AVETCH said.
According to AVETCH, four crews have completed a total of 10 spacewalks since the Shenzhou-12 crewed mission in 2021, mastering a number of key technologies. Follow-up extravehicular activities will continue to take place regularly as planned.
Last month, the Shenzhou-15 crew completed various tasks, including in-orbit maintenance of the space station. The Stirling thermoelectric converter completed its in-orbit test. The converter, capable of converting thermal energy into electricity with relatively high efficiency and energy density, is expected to be used in future manned lunar missions and deep space exploration, AVETCH said.
The Tianzhou-6 cargo craft is scheduled to be launched into space in early to mid-May, AVETCH said, adding that it has already been transported to the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern province of Hainan.