Shenzhou-14 taikonauts perform third spacewalk

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 17, 2022 shows China's Shenzhou-14 taikonaut Chen Dong having exited the space station lab module Wentian. (Photo by Sun Fengxiao/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-14 crew on board the orbiting Chinese Tiangong space station is conducting their extravehicular activities for the third time, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Commander Chen Dong has already gotten out of the space station, and crew member Cai Xuzhe will subsequently exit. Taikonaut Liu Yang is inside the core module to support her crewmates, the agency said in a brief release on Thursday.

They will work together to conduct several extravehicular operations, including the installation of equipment to link modules.

This is the seventh spacewalk by taikonauts in the space station. It is expected to last 6.5 hours, the agency said.

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 17, 2022 shows China's Shenzhou-14 taikonaut Chen Dong having exited the space station lab module Wentian. (Photo by Sun Fengxiao/Xinhua)

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 17, 2022 shows China's Shenzhou-14 taikonaut Chen Dong opening the hatch of space station lab module Wentian's airlock cabin. (Photo by Sun Fengxiao/Xinhua)