China's spacewalk suits function reliably beyond designed lifespan

BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China's first batch of extravehicular spacesuits for its space station has outlasted their expected lifespan and continues to perform reliably.

These spacesuits have supported 19 spacewalks so far, exceeding the original design life of "15 uses within 3 years," demonstrating their durability and advanced engineering.

The record was set following the third series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) conducted by the Shenzhou-19 crew on China's space station on Friday.

"One of the spacesuits has been used up to 17 times," said Liu Dongyue from China Astronaut Research and Training Center.

On July 4, 2021, the Shenzhou-12 crew donned the second-generation extravehicular spacesuits currently in use to conduct China's first EVAs on the space station.

The second-generation version surpasses its predecessor with extended operational duration, heightened safety and reliability, superior mobility and flexibility, and enhanced testing and maintenance capabilities.

The spacesuit team has also developed a robust, scientifically-grounded system for monitoring the spacesuits' health and assessing their lifespan, integrating ground and space efforts to accurately predict their remaining operational life, according to Liu.