Chinese astronauts conducted a spacewalk, setting a new world record previously held by NASA. Here’s what we know about the event (video included).

Two Chinese astronauts from the "Shenzhou-19" mission exited the Tiangong space station on December 17, venturing into open space and breaking the world record set by NASA astronauts in 2001. They spent the longest time in history outside a spacecraft, as reported by Interesting Engineering.

Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Sun Lindong, currently aboard the Tiangong space station, conducted a spacewalk lasting a record-breaking 9 hours and 6 minutes.

As a result, the Chinese astronauts surpassed the previous world record held by NASA astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms, established in 2001. They completed a spacewalk from the Discovery shuttle during a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which remained the record until December 17, 2024. NASA astronauts were outside for 8 hours and 56 minutes.

The Chinese space station Tiangong orbits the Earth at an altitude between 340 to 450 km, roughly the same altitude as the ISS. Construction of this station began in 2021 and was completed at the end of 2022. It currently consists of three modules arranged in a T-shape.

Cai Xuzhe and Sun Lindong exited the space station from the "Wenyatian" module, while astronaut Wang Haoze provided support for the mission from inside the station. The success of the mission was also significantly aided by the robotic manipulators on the Tiangong space station.

During their time in open space, the astronauts inspected equipment installed outside the station and installed protective panels on the "Tianhe" module. These panels are designed to shield crucial external equipment from potential debris from space junk.

The Chinese astronauts conducted their spacewalk in Feitian spacesuits, which allow for at least 8 hours outside the Tiangong station. These suits have a lifespan of 3 years and can be used for a maximum of 15 spacewalks.

The astronauts of the "Shenzhou-19" mission broke the previous record set by the "Shenzhou-18" astronauts in May of this year, which lasted 8 hours and 23 minutes.

Astronaut Sun Lindong has now made history as the first Chinese astronaut born in the 1990s to conduct a spacewalk. Cai Xuzhe completed his second spacewalk in his career; he was outside the Tiangong station for 5 hours and 30 minutes in November 2022.

The astronauts of the "Shenzhou-19" mission are expected to return to Earth in late April or early May 2025, which means they will conduct several more spacewalks. They may also set a new record.

The first Chinese astronaut to conduct a spacewalk was Zhai Zhigang in 2008, who spent 20 minutes outside the "Shenzhou-7" spacecraft.