Shenzhou XX crew to carry out third spacewalk in coming days

The Shenzhou XX mission crew members aboard the Tiangong space station are scheduled to carry out their third spacewalk in the coming days, the China Manned Space Agency said on Thursday.

The three orbital travelers — mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crew members Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie — have been aboard the station for more than three months since their arrival on April 25.

They have conducted a host of assignments including examinations and maintenance work on instruments, installation of intravehicular devices, monitoring of inner environment, as well as unpacking and testing new spacewalk suits. The astronauts have also engaged in a number of scientific and technological tasks, the agency said in a news release.

"The crew members are in good spirits, and the Tiangong space station remains in stable condition. The astronauts are ready for their third spacewalk," it said.

The Shenzhou XX crew is conducting China's 15th manned spaceflight and has become the ninth group of residents aboard the Tiangong, which is currently the only operational space station independently run by a single nation.

Their predecessors in the Shenzhou XIX flight made three spacewalks during their six-month mission.