China fortifies Tiangong space station after Russian satellite explosion
- In 6½-hour mission, two crew spacewalk to install shields against debris and photograph the station’s exterior
“The spacewalk primarily focused on installing protective devices on external cables and pipelines to mitigate risks posed by potential space debris collisions, enhancing the long-term safety and stability of the space station,” said Liu Ming, of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV.
A defunct Resurs-P1 Russian Earth observation satellite exploded in orbit on June 26, generating more than 100 pieces of trackable debris, according to US Space Command.
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The incident prompted Nasa mission control in Houston to direct six US astronauts on the International Space Station to execute “safe haven” procedures to mitigate debris risk, although it is not clear if this influenced China’s protective measures for its Tiangong space station.
For the spacewalk just before 11pm Hong Kong time on Wednesday, a robotic arm moved astronaut Li Cong to the station’s external equipment site. Fellow astronaut Ye Guangfu followed, handing over necessary equipment and devices to Li.
Ye then climbed along the station’s exterior to the work site, where he helped Li to install the protective devices. Meanwhile, another astronaut, Li Guangsu, monitored the robotic arm from the Tianhe core module and provided support.
After completing the installation, Li Cong used the robotic arm to move to an inspection point where he used his helmet camera to survey and photograph the payload adaptor’s surface condition.
The two spacewalking astronauts, Ye Guangfu and Li Cong, subsequently returned to the Wentian lab module after the 6½-hour mission.
A dialogue broadcast by CCTV shows Li and Ye seeming relaxed, even apparently competing to see who could reach a designated spot first. They also appeared to joke about striking poses for the camera during the installation.
Wu Dawei, of the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre, applauded the operation, noting that “more protective devices were installed this time, requiring longer time to travel from the airlock to the designated points. However, their operation was smooth and effortless.”
Li Cong remarked on the beauty of the Tiangong while communicating with Chinese ground control.
“Whenever the robotic arm sent me to high points, despite the glaring sunlight, I [could not] help but want to take a closer look,” he said, applauding the efforts of all involved. “It’s truly moving to witness the grandeur of this project.
“We will continue our diligent and efficient work to complete future missions smoothly.”
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The latest mission marked the three-man crew’s second extravehicular activity and the 16th for the Chinese space station.
On June 24, two US astronauts had to end a planned spacewalk early because of a water leak in their spacesuits. The mission, which was to involve retrieving a malfunctioning part from a communications antenna and collecting microbial samples, was cut short, lasting only about half an hour carrying out the task which had been allotted nearly seven hours.
In keeping with its schedule, the Shenzhou-18 crew has completed one-third of their mission in orbit and will soon welcome the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft. The Shenzhou-18 crew is slated to return to the Dongfeng landing site in northern China in late October.
