Wang Yaping becomes first Chinese woman to walk in space

Wang is one of three astronauts on a six-month mission to build the Tiangong Space Station.

Astronaut Wang Yaping has become the first Chinese woman to walk in space, officials said on Monday as part of a six-month mission to the country’s space station.

According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMS), Wang and fellow astronaut Zhai Zhigang left the Tiangong station’s main module for more than six hours to set up equipment and perform tests with the station’s robotic arm.

CMS said on its website that Ye Guangfu, a third crew member, provided assistance from inside the station.

Tiangong, which means “heavenly palace”, is an important part of China’s military-led campaign to become a major space power after landing a rover on Mars and sending probes to the Moon.

Its main module entered orbit earlier this year, with the station expected to be operational by 2022.

Wang, 41, and Zhai, 55, have previously traveled to China’s now-retired experimental space stations, and Zhai did China’s first spacewalk 13 years ago.

While tethering outside the station, the two shook hands towards the camera.

“This is the first extraordinary activity by the Shenzhou-13 crew, and also the participation of the first female astronaut in China’s space history,” CMS said in a statement early Monday.

“The entire process was smooth and successful,” the agency said.

Tiangong is expected to serve for at least 10 years, and the three astronauts are the second group to live there along with the first lady, Wang.

Their work includes setting up equipment and testing technology for future construction, with at least one more spacewalk planned.

The team is expected to spend six months at the station.

The station’s Tianhe module will be joined by two more sections, named Mengtian and Wentian, next year. The full station would weigh about 66 tons, much smaller than the International Space Station, which launched its first module in 1998 and weighed about 450 tons.

Three spacewalks are planned to install equipment in preparation for the station’s expansion, while the crew will also assess living conditions in the Tianhe module and conduct experiments in space medicine and other areas.