Under a veil of secrecy, Shenzhou 15 taikonauts Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu exited the Chinese Experiment Module I (Wentian/CSS) of the Chinese Space Station for their second extravehicular activity (EVA) sometime between 28 February and 1 March 2023. The first indication of the Chinese spacewalk was on 2 March from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) although rumours on Chinese social media spoke of a possible upcoming EVA on 28 March.
The Chinese space authorities have been also been deliberately opaque about the spacewalk and what it was to achieve. The spacewalkers were reportedly assisted in their mission by Deng Qingming who operated the robotic arm from within the CSS. After completing “several tasks”, Fei and Zhang returned safely to the Wentian lab module. Taikonauts Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu were previously tasked with several tasks on their first spacewalk including installing external pumps outside the Chinese Space Station on 9 February 2023.
Second spacewalk for Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu. Courtesy: CGTN
