Shenzhou-15 taikonauts to perform spacewalk

A see-off ceremony for three taikonauts of the Shenzhou-15 manned space mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Nov. 29, 2022.(Xinhua/Liu Lei)

BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-15 taikonauts, who are currently on board the Chinese Tiangong space station, will conduct their first extravehicular activities within the next few days, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Wednesday.

The three-men crew have been living in orbit for 70 days since they entered the space station combination on Nov. 30, 2022. They completed various tasks, including in-orbit crew rotation with the Shenzhou-14 taikonauts, tests of scientific experiment cabinets, and spacecraft equipment inspections.

They also performed medical checks, weightlessness protection workouts and a series of space science experiments.

However, the past two months have not been only about work. The latest space station residents also celebrated the Chinese New Year and held space painting and photo exhibitions, sending New Year greetings to the Chinese people.

According to the agency, the Shenzhou-15 trio are now in good condition, and the space station combination is operating stably. All conditions are in place for the crew's first spacewalk.

The three Shenzhou-15 crew members are Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu. Their six-month mission is aimed at wrapping up the last stage of the space station construction and starting the first stage of its application and development.