In this file photo taken on October 14, 2021, Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping, member of the second crew for China鈥檚 new space station, salutes during a briefing the day before the launch at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert, in northwest China. AFP FILE PHOTO
BEIJING 鈥� Astronaut Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to walk in space, authorities said Monday, as her team completed a six-hour stint outside the Tiangong space station as part of its ongoing construction.
Tiangong 鈥� meaning 鈥渉eavenly palace鈥� 鈥� is the latest achievement in China鈥檚 drive to become a major space power, after landing a rover on Mars and sending probes to the Moon.
Its core module entered orbit earlier this year, with the station expected to be operational by 2022.
Wang and her colleague Zhai Zhigang stepped out of the module on Sunday night 鈥� waving to the camera while tethered to the outside of the station 鈥� and聽installed聽a suspension device and transfer connectors.
鈥淭his marks the first extravehicular activity of the Shenzhou-13 crew, and it is also the first in China鈥檚 space history involving the participation of a woman astronaut,鈥� said the China Manned Space Agency in a statement early Monday.
鈥淭he whole process was smooth and successful,鈥� the agency added, declaring it finished.
Tiangong is expected to operate for at least 10 years, and the three astronauts are the second group to stay there.聽Wang is the first woman to visit.
Mission commander Zhai is a former fighter pilot who performed China鈥檚 first spacewalk in 2008.
Sunday鈥檚 operation came just weeks after Wang, Zhai and third team member Ye Guangfu blasted off from the Jiuquan launch centre in northwestern China鈥檚 Gobi desert.
Ye, who stayed inside during the walk to support his crewmates, is a People鈥檚 Liberation Army pilot.
Their work聽involves setting up equipment and testing technology for future construction, with at least one more spacewalk planned.
The team is expected to spend six months at the station.
The previous record-breaking crew, who made the first mission to Tiangong, returned to Earth in September after spending three months there.