China has achieved a historic milestone in space exploration by breaking the US record for the longest spacewalk. On Tuesday, astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, aboard the Tiangong space station, completed a nine-hour extravehicular activity (EVA) at 9:57 PM Beijing time, as reported by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The previous record of eight hours and 56 minutes was set by US astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms during a mission to the International Space Station on March 12, 2001, according to NASA.
The Shenzhou-19 crew members on board China’s orbiting Tinagong space station completed their first extravehicular activities (EVAs) at 21:57 Beijing Time on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). https://t.co/ChJdYJJvQH pic.twitter.com/n0re772KpK
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This achievement marks a significant step in China’s bid to become a leading spacefaring nation. The EVA also surpassed China’s own previous record, held by Shenzhou-18 astronauts Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu, who completed an eight-hour and 23-minute spacewalk. The first Chinese spacewalk occurred in September 2008 when astronaut Zhai Zhigang spent 20 minutes outside the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft.
China is also planning a lunar mission by 2030, for which it has already unveiled a specially designed spacesuit.
Video footage released by China’s CCTV showed astronauts Cai and Song leaving the Wentian lab module, tethered with safety cables, as they conducted their tasks. Their EVA was supported by fellow crewmate Wang Haozhe from inside the station, Tiangong’s robotic arms, and ground control teams. The CMSA declared the mission a “full success.”
For Song Lingdong, a former PLA fighter pilot, the mission marked a personal milestone as he became the first Chinese astronaut born in the 1990s to perform a spacewalk. This was Cai Xuzhe’s second EVA, following his earlier 5.5-hour spacewalk in November 2022.
The Shenzhou-19 crew, which arrived at Tiangong in late October, is scheduled to return to Earth in April or May 2025, landing in Inner Mongolia. Until then, the mission will include additional spacewalks, scientific research, and technical experiments, as outlined by the CMSA.
