An EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) spacewalk by two of the crew of Shenzhou 13 – the fourth made from the Chinese Space Station “Tiangong” – began at 1044 GMT on 26 December 2021 with the hatch of the main Tianhe module being opened. Two “taikonauts” (Chinese astronauts) took part.
Ye Guangu was on his first spacewalk. Mission commander Zhai Zhigang, identifiable by the red stripes on his space suit, was on his third. The third crew member, Wang Yaping, remained inside the space station to operate the Tianhe’s robot arm remotely. The astronauts erected a panoramic camera on the Tianhe module. They then did some preparation work for further spacewalks before ending their own at 1655 GMT.
Post Script: It has been revealed that the Chinese space station had to make emergency manoeuvres twice to avoid two SpaceX Starlink satellites. The collision avoidance manoeuvres were made on 1 July and 21 October 2021 according to a document (in effect a complaint) presented by the Chinese to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
Still from video simulation showing Shenzhou 13 docking with the Tinhe moduel of the Tiangong Chinese Space Station. Courtesy: China Manned Space Engineering Office
