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According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMS), to carry out the mission, Wang Yaping and Zhuo Zhigang left the main module of the Tiangong space station for more than six hours to install equipment and conduct tests using the Tiangong space station's robotic arm outside of space, while the other member of the team - astronaut Ye Guangfu - assisted in the process from inside the space station.
Wang Yaping (41 years old) is one of three astronauts currently serving on the Tiangong space station. All three began their space journey on October 16th and will work for six months inside the Tianhe module – the core module of the space station.
Two astronauts during a mission in outer space. - Photo: Xinhua News Agency
"This was the first space station-based mission conducted by the Shenzhou-13 crew, and also the first in Chinese space history to involve a female astronaut," CMS said. "The entire process went smoothly."
In a video published by the South China Morning Post, while the astronauts were performing their duties outside the space station, they waved to the public during a live broadcast to Earth. This wasn't Wang Yaping's first space flight. In 2013, she spent 15 days in orbit on the Shenzhou-10 mission.
Ms. Wang Yaping. - Photo: Internet
The Tiangong space station is currently under construction and is expected to be operational in at least 10 years. According to plan, the Tianhe module of the final station will also be connected to the other two sections, Mengtian and Wentian. Once completed, the space station will weigh approximately 66 tons, significantly smaller than the International Space Station. The International Space Station launched its first module in 1998, which weighed around 450 tons.
This is the third space flight in the construction of the Tiangong space station. During this mission, the crew will make three more departures from the module to install equipment, preparing for the expansion of the space station. In addition, the astronauts will assess living conditions in outer space and conduct experiments in the field of space medicine.
The moment Wang Yaping made history by becoming the first woman to walk in space:
