On March 16, 2026, Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu (commander of the Shenzhou-21 mission) and Wu Fei carried out another spacewalk from the Tiangong space station. The EVA lasted about seven hours and ended at 19:25 Beijing time (11:25 GMT), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

What the astronauts did

Wearing Feitian spacesuit suits, the astronauts installed additional shielding panels to protect against micrometeoroids and space debris on the exterior of the three-module station. The work was carried out on the Wentian module (laboratory module).

Inside the station, Zhang Hongzhang provided support, while operations were assisted by the station’s robotic arm.

This was the second EVA for the Shenzhou-21 crew. The first took place in December 2025, when Zhang Lu and Wu Fei inspected a crack in the window of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, which had been used by the previous crew to return to Earth following suspected debris damage.

Zhang Lu’s historic record

For the 49-year-old Zhang Lu, this spacewalk was the sixth of his career, tying him with Chen Dong for the Chinese record in number of EVAs.

Zhang Lu made his first flight on Shenzhou-15 in late 2022 and performed four EVAs during a 186-day mission. Chen Dong completed three spacewalks on Shenzhou-14 in 2022 and three more on Shenzhou-20.

For comparison, the world record for spacewalks is held by Anatoly Solovyev with 16 EVAs (1988–1999). Among Americans, the leader is Peggy Whitson with 10 spacewalks.

China’s plans for Tiangong

China plans to maintain a permanent presence on Tiangong space station for at least ten years. In 2026, launches of Shenzhou-23 and Shenzhou-24 (crewed missions), as well as the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou, are planned.

An uncrewed Shenzhou-22 was sent to the station at the end of 2025 as a backup “lifeboat” following the incident with Shenzhou-20.

In brief

Chinese astronaut Zhang Lu completed his sixth spacewalk on March 16, 2026, aboard Tiangong space station — matching the national record held by Chen Dong. Together with Wu Fei, he installed debris protection panels.

This was the second EVA of the Shenzhou-21 mission. China plans to maintain a continuous crew on the station for at least 10 years, with Shenzhou-23, Shenzhou-24, and Tianzhou missions expected in 2026.

The world record for EVAs remains 16 by Anatoly Solovyev, while the U.S. record is 10 by Peggy Whitson.