China's Shenzhou-14 astronauts complete first extravehicular activities

BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's astronauts Chen Dong and Liu Yang have completed their extravehicular activities (EVAs) and returned to the space station lab module Wentian, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on early hours of Friday.

This was the first time Chinese astronauts have used Wentian's airlock cabin, aided by its small mechanical arm, to carry out EVAs, said the CMSA, who has declared Friday's mission a complete success.

The pair returned to the lab module at 0:33 a.m. (Beijing Time) after about six hours of EVAs, according to the CMSA.

Under the coordination between space and Earth, and coordination with astronaut Cai Xuzhe inside the lab module, the pair completed a series of tasks, including the installation of the extended pump set of the Wentian lab module, lifting the lab module's panoramic camera, and the verification of capability for independent transfer and emergency return to the spacecraft.

The EVAs tested the cooperation ability between astronauts and the small mechanical arm, and tested the function and performance of Wentian's airlock cabin and support equipment related to EVAs, the CMSA said.

China launched the Shenzhou-14 spaceship on June 5, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a six-month mission.