Shenzhou-21 Astronauts Complete Third Spacewalk and Extend Mission
News Context
At a glance
- China's Shenzhou-21 crew completed their third series of extravehicular activities outside the Tiangong space station on Friday, April 17, 2026, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
- During the spacewalk, the crew installed space debris protection equipment and inspected extravehicular equipment outside the station.
- Zhang Lu has now conducted seven extravehicular activities during his career, setting a new record for the most spacewalks by a Chinese astronaut.
China’s Shenzhou-21 crew completed their third series of extravehicular activities outside the Tiangong space station on Friday, April 17, 2026, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang worked for approximately 5.5 hours and finished their tasks at 1:36 a.m. Beijing Time.
During the spacewalk, the crew installed space debris protection equipment and inspected extravehicular equipment outside the station. Zhang Lu and Wu Fei conducted the extravehicular activities while Zhang Hongzhang remained inside the Wentian lab module to support the operation.