Chinese Astronaut Ties Record With 6th Career Spacewalk

A Chinese astronaut just made history 250 miles above Earth, proving that humanity's reach into space keeps expanding.

Mission Commander Zhang Lu completed his sixth career spacewalk on Monday, matching the record for most spacewalks by any Chinese astronaut. He and colleague Wu Fei spent seven hours outside the Tiangong space station, installing protective debris shielding and maintaining the three-module outpost.

The 49-year-old Zhang first launched to space in late 2022 on the Shenzhou 15 mission, where he completed four spacewalks during a 186-day stay. This latest achievement ties him with astronaut Chen Dong, who also has six career spacewalks to his name.

The pair worked in specialized Feitian spacesuits while the station's robotic arm and ground control teams provided support. Fellow astronaut Zhang Hongzhang coordinated operations from inside Tiangong, ensuring everything ran smoothly.

This marked the crew's second spacewalk during the current Shenzhou 21 mission. Their first walk in December involved inspecting damage to a spacecraft viewport, showing how astronauts handle unexpected challenges in orbit.

Why This Inspires

Zhang's achievement represents more than personal accomplishment. China plans to keep Tiangong continuously occupied for at least a decade, creating a permanent human presence in low Earth orbit alongside the International Space Station.

The country will launch two more crewed missions this year, along with cargo spacecraft to support ongoing operations. A next-generation crew capsule may also visit Tiangong in 2025, following successful tests in February.

While Zhang now holds the Chinese record, cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyev performed 16 spacewalks during his career between 1988 and 1999. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson leads American astronauts with 10 spacewalks.

Each mission outside the station advances our understanding of long-duration spaceflight and brings us closer to deeper space exploration.