Nine hours – that's how long the spacewalk of two Chinese astronauts took as part of the Shenzhou-19 mission. This broke the 23-year-old record held by Americans who spent four minutes less in space outside the ship.
A 540-minute walk in space ended on Tuesday at 21.57 (2.57 p.m. in Poland). During their nine-hour trek, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong were attached to the space station by a two-meter safety rope. Taiconauts installed devices to protect Tiangong, the Chinese space station, from space debris and carried out necessary maintenance works. For Song, this event had special significance because he became the youngest person to walk in space.
The previous record for the length of a single spacewalk was set on March 11, 2001, when American astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms spent eight hours and 56 minutes outside the Space Shuttle Discovery during a mission to the International Space Station. In turn, in May 2024, members of the Chinese Shenzhou-18 mission Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu completed a slightly shorter spacewalk lasting eight hours and 23 minutes.
Shenzou-19 mission
The ongoing Shenzou-19 mission launched in late October this year. Its members, apart from Cai Xuxhe and Song Lindong, also include Wang Haoze. In the coming months, the crew is expected to conduct scientific experiments and technical tests, as well as undertake another walk. Return to Earth is scheduled for late April or early May 2025.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/XINHUA / LI JIE