In a move that suggests space is, indeed, full of junk, Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu and Wu Fei spent a breezy 5.5 hours outside the Tiangong space station on April 16. Their primary task was to install debris-protection hardware, a prudent chore given that a previous spacecraft, Shenzhou-20, had its viewport damaged by orbital debris. The spacewalk, supported by crewmate Zhang Hongzhang and the station's robotic arm, wrapped up at 1:36 p.m. Eastern time, with the pair also conducting general inspections of the station's exterior.
This outing was the mission's third EVA and marked a personal milestone for Zhang Lu, who now holds the Chinese record with seven career spacewalks. In a slight shift from previous protocol, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) only announced the successful spacewalk hours after it was completed, rather than giving a day or two of advance notice. The crew has now been in orbit for over five months, having arrived on October 31, 2025.
Their stay, however, is being extended. CMSEO announced that the Shenzhou-21 trio's mission will be prolonged by one month, pushing their return to around mid-to-late May. This extension is made possible by the later arrival of the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft, which launched on November 25, 2025. Shenzhou-22 serves as the station's new emergency return vehicle, a role it assumed after the damaged Shenzhou-20 forced a crew swap, sending the Shenzhou-20 astronauts home on the Shenzhou-21 craft.
The crew will spend their extra month conducting scientific experiments and will notably celebrate China Space Day on April 24 while in orbit. This date commemorates the 1970 launch of China's first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, with events planned in Chengdu and elsewhere. In unrelated but also space-related news, a separate press conference on April 17 provided updates on other Chinese space ambitions.
Liu Yunfeng, deputy director of the China National Space Administration, stated that the Tianwen-2 spacecraft is nearing its target asteroid, Kamo'olewa, with maneuvers possibly starting in June for a rendezvous around early July. He also outlined a busy schedule for reusable rockets, including the expected debut flight of the cargo variant Long March 10B between April 28-30, which may feature an attempt at sea-based first-stage recovery using a cable system. Test flights are also planned for the Long March 12B, Galactic Energy's Pallas-1, Orienspace's Gravity-2, and further flights of Landspace's Zhuque-3.