Shenzhou-17 crew completes in-orbit repairs during 2nd extravehicular mission

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on March 2, 2024 shows Shenzhou-17 astronaut Tang Hongbo performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-17 crew members, who are currently on board China's space station, have completed their second extravehicular mission on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li He)

BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-17 crew aboard China's orbiting space station carried out their second extravehicular mission on Saturday, the China Manned Space Agency has said.

Taikonauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin successfully completed all assigned tasks at 1:32 p.m. (Beijing time), after approximately eight hours of extravehicular activities. They worked together closely with the support of the space station's robotic arm and scientific researchers on Earth.

A spacewalk was conducted by Tang Hongbo and Jiang Xinlin, who have since returned safely to the Wentian lab module.

China launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship on Oct. 26, 2023. Its crew conducted a repair test in their first extravehicular mission on Dec. 21 last year.

During their second extravehicular mission, the three taikonauts completed maintenance work on the Tianhe core module's solar wings, addressing the impact of small space particles. According to the agency, the solar wing's power generation function is operating normally after evaluation and analysis.

It was the first time the taikonauts completed the in-orbit maintenance of extravehicular facilities. The Shenzhou-17 crew also inspected the status of the space station's modules during their spacewalk.

The three taikonauts are scheduled to carry out a variety of space science and technology experiments during the remainder of their space journey, the agency said. 

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on March 2, 2024 shows Shenzhou-17 astronaut Tang Hongbo performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-17 crew members, who are currently on board China's space station, have completed their second extravehicular mission on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li He)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on March 2, 2024 shows Shenzhou-17 astronaut Jiang Xinlin performing extravehicular activities assisted by the robotic arm of the space station. The Shenzhou-17 crew members, who are currently on board China's space station, have completed their second extravehicular mission on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li He)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on March 2, 2024 shows Shenzhou-17 astronaut opening the hatch of space station lab module Wentian's airlock cabin before extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-17 crew members, who are currently on board China's space station, have completed their second extravehicular mission on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li He)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on March 2, 2024 shows Shenzhou-17 astronaut Jiang Xinlin collecting image data while performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-17 crew members, who are currently on board China's space station, have completed their second extravehicular mission on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li He)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on March 2, 2024 shows Shenzhou-17 astronauts Tang Hongbo (R) and Jiang Xinlin (L) returning to the Wentian lab module. The Shenzhou-17 crew members, who are currently on board China's space station, have completed their second extravehicular mission on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li He)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on March 2, 2024 shows Shenzhou-17 astronaut Jiang Xinlin performing extravehicular activities. The Shenzhou-17 crew members, who are currently on board China's space station, have completed their second extravehicular mission on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li He)