Spacesuits Gain Life Extension with Latest Spacewalk [SZ-19 EVA-3]
With a few weeks left in orbit, another spacewalk was performed.
The Shenzhou-19 crew currently onboard the Tiangong Space Station has recently conducted their third spacewalk of the mission, leaving from and returning to the Wentian module via its airlock. Once again, Cai Xuzhe is believed to have worn the red suit while Song Lingdong donned the blue suit.
Once again, Wang Haoze supported the two spacewalkers from inside the station, monitoring their activities and providing guidance where needed. Song has continued to improve his record as the youngest taikonaut performing multiple, currently three, spacewalks, while Cai was performing his fifth overall for a record total time outside of over thirty-five hours.
This spacewalk is said to have lasted from 13:50 pm to 20:50 pm China Standard Time (05:50 am to 13:50 pm Universal Coordinated Time) for a duration of approximately seven hours. The third spacewalk was just under an hour shorter than the second one, while that one was just over an hour shorter than the first.
Like the previous two spacewalks, routine inspections of the three modules and external hardware were conducted. More space debris protection panels were installed too, one with a grapple point for Tiangong’s robotic arm.
Today’s spacewalk also successfully demonstrated an extension to the useable lifespan of the second-generation Feitian (飞天航天服) spacesuit, of which the Tiangong Space Station has three onboard. Originally the suits were designed to be used fifteen times over three years, that has now been extended to nineteen uses over four years. Speaking on the continued use of the suits, Liu Dongyue (刘东岳) of the China Astronaut Center stated:
“At present, the space station's extravehicular space suits are performing well and in stable condition. They have successfully supported 19 extravehicular activities for the space station mission. A single piece of suit has been used up to 17 times, exceeding the lifespan target of 15 times in three years“ — “We have explored and established a scientific and reasonable life assessment method, deeply evaluated on-orbit and ground test data, and carried out a large number of material-level and product-level verification tests to evaluate the usage boundaries. At the same time, combined with the regular testing of on-orbit clothing and pre-departure inspection, we confirm the health status of the clothing to ensure that the astronauts suits are safe and reliable for the departure mission.”
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Unless a short-notice external repair is needed, it is unlikely that another spacewalk will occur during the Shenzhou-19 mission. So far the Shenzhou-19 trio have spent almost five months aboard the the Tiangong Space Station, with just over a month left to go before heading home in late April or Early May after handing over responsibilities to the Shenzhou-20 crew. This means that the Shenzhou-15 crew will retain the record for most spacewalks in a single mission, having performed four in 2023.
Meet the Shenzhou-19 crew
Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲)
The commander of the Shenzhou-19 mission is Cai Xuzhe, making his second trip to the space station. Cai Xuzhe's first flight was for the sixth-month Shenzhou-14 mission, lasting from June to December of 2022, this mission saw the Wentian and Mengtian modules dock as well as having the first crew handover, when the Shenzhou-15 crew arrived.
Cai is from Shenzhou (深州市), in Hebei province (河北), and has served in the People's Liberation Army Air Force. In 2010 he was selected as part of the second group of taikonauts. After the Shenzhou-14 mission, Cai was awarded the honorary title of "Heroic Astronaut" in March 2023.
Song Lingdong (宋令东)
The operator for the Shenzhou-19 mission is Song Lingdong, making his first trip to space. Like his crewmate, Song Lingdong is part of the third group of Taikonauts and was selected in 2020.
Song is from Caoxian county (曹县), in Shandong Province (山东), and has served in the People's Liberation Army Air Force. Having joined the PLAAF in 2008, Song went on to earn the rank of Lieutenant Colonel along with flying Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-35 aircraft for international joint exercises.
Wang Haoze (王浩泽)
The science operator for the Shenzhou-19 mission is Wang Haoze, making her first trip to space. Wang Haoze is part of the third group of Taikonauts and was selected in 2020.
Wang is from Chengde (承德市), in Hebei province (河北), and was previously a senior engineer at the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. During her time working as a propulsion engineer, she notably co-authored a paper about nuclear thermal rocket engines.