Chinese astronauts out of spacecraft for second extravehicular activity

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronaut Tang Hongbo working inside the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming had both slipped out of the space station core module Tianhe by 10:12 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Friday to conduct extravehicular activities (EVAs) for a second time, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Nie opened the hatch of Tianhe's node cabin at 8:38 a.m., the CMSA said.

Donning Feitian, new-generation homemade extravehicular mobility unit spacesuits that literally means "flying to space," the two astronauts have completed installing the foot restraints and extravehicular working platform on the mechanical arm, the CMSA said.

They will continue to work together to install other relevant extravehicular equipment with the aid of the mechanical arm, it said.

Astronaut Tang Hongbo has been staying inside Tianhe in cooperation with Nie and Liu for their EVAs.

The three astronauts were sent into space aboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship on June 17. Liu and Tang completed the first EVAs during the construction of the country's space station on July 4.