Shenzhou-19 Astronauts Triumph in Second Spectacular Spacewalk Adventure!

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Jan. 20, 2025 shows Shenzhou-19 astronaut Song Lingdong performing extravehicular activities outside China’s orbiting space station. (Xinhua/Liu Fang)

Taikonauts from the Shenzhou-19 crew of the manned spaceflight mission successfully concluded their second session of extravehicular activities (EVAs) at 1:12 am on Tuesday, which took about 8.5 hours, as reported by the Global Times from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The agency also outlined a strategy that includes three major missions for 2025.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences also revealed to the Global Times on Tuesday that as the China Space Station begins its third year of being fully operational, considerable research achievements have been made across various fields such as space biology and novel materials science, establishing a foundation for prospective applications.

Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, alongside the third crew member Wang Haoze, worked together to set up space debris protection systems and conducted an extravehicular inspection. Supported by the robotic arm of the China Space Station and a team on Earth, the CMSA disclosed in a press release shared with the Global Times on Tuesday.

Cai, the commanding officer of the mission, and Song, who fulfilled the spacewalk responsibilities, made a secure return to the Wentian lab module, highlighting the mission’s complete success.

According to the CMSA, the Shenzhou-19 mission is approaching its midpoint, as the crew persistently engages in numerous scientific experiments and technical evaluations in orbit.

A few days later, in spite of their packed agenda, the Shenzhou-19 crew will commemorate the Chinese New Year of the Snake in space, preserving China’s “space home” and witnessing the Earth shining under the glow of thousands of families’ lights, the CMSA noted.

The China Space Station is currently in its third full year of function. More than 180 scientific and application projects have been undertaken, with nearly 2 tons of experimental modules, units, and samples dispatched to space, while almost 100 varieties of experimental samples have returned to Earth. A series of original scientific findings have been reported by the Global Times through the Chinese Academy of Sciences on Tuesday.

Recently, investigators from the Institute of Biophysics, CAS, have been studying recent in-orbit monitoring videos of fruit flies from the China Space Station, evaluating their growth, reproduction, and behavioral patterns.

The fruit fly, a diminutive insect that consumes fruit, serves as a well-established model organism with a research history spanning over a century. On November 15, 2024, fruit flies were transported to the space station via the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft for research purposes.

Li Yan, a researcher at the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, clarified that fruit flies in space display mating, reproduction, and other behaviors akin to those observed on Earth. Nevertheless, during these activities, scientists have noted distinct behavioral patterns that contrast considerably with those on Earth.

On Earth, fruit flies crawl and fly, but in space, they exhibit behaviors such as floating and flipping upside down, the researcher informed the Global Times.

Currently, sophisticated video processing technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are employed on Earth to aid the analysis. CAS scientists have reported that the fruit fly research platform aboard the Chinese space station is designed with stringent conditions for temperature, humidity, lighting cycles, and gas circulation. Over two months of orbital cultivation have enabled the fruit flies to produce a third generation.

Through persistent video monitoring, investigators have accumulated over 4TB of in-orbit video footage of the fruit flies. These recordings are crucial for examining the growth, development, and behavioral characteristics of fruit flies in space, including sleep, mating, and activity patterns.

Additionally, investigations have been undertaken on refractory alloys in orbit, concentrating on alloy materials and multi-metal compositions that are remarkably difficult to melt under Earth’s conditions, utilizing the distinctive containerless material experimentation environment available in space. This research establishes the groundwork for the development of crucial alloy materials, such as those necessary for future aircraft engine blades, as stated by the CAS.

Zhang Wei, a researcher at the Space Application Engineering and Technology Center of the CAS, indicated that in the arena of new materials research, forthcoming studies aim to create high-entropy alloys, composed of over five different metals, as well as functional crystals such as scintillation crystals and semiconductor crystals. Attention will be directed toward material research and preparation in the space environment, he stated.

In the domain of space astronomy, China plans to deploy flagship instruments, including the Xuntian space telescope and advanced high-energy cosmic radiation detection systems.

The CMSA disclosed mission logos on Monday for three essential projects in China’s manned space program for 2025, comprising the launches of the crewed Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, alongside the Tianzhou-9 cargo mission.

As per the CMSA, both Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 missions will consist of three-member astronaut teams. Shenzhou-20 is prepared to dock with the radial port of the space station’s core module, whereas Shenzhou-21 will connect with its frontal port.

The main objectives of the astronauts will encompass extravehicular activities, cargo deliveries through the station’s cargo airlock module, and the execution of space science experiments and technology assessments.

In the latter half of 2025, China plans to launch the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft from the Wenchang Space Launch Site located in its southern Hainan Province. This mission will provide astronaut supplies, fuels, and an assortment of payloads essential for station operations.