China's Shenzhou-13 taikonauts complete first extravehicular mission

Taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping have completed their extravehicular activities (EVAs) and returned to the space station core module Tianhe, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on early hours of Monday.

The event was the third extravehicular mission conducted during the construction of the country's space station and the first by the Shenzhou-13 crew. It also marks the first EVAs in Chinese space history involving a female taikonaut, said the agency, which has declared Monday's EVAs a complete success.

The pair returned to the core module at 1:16 a.m. (Beijing Time) after 6.5 hours of extravehicular activities. They completed a series of extravehicular tasks.

The mission further tested the functions of the China-developed new-generation extravehicular spacesuits, the coordination between the taikonauts and the mechanical arm, and the reliability and safety of supporting equipment related to the EVAs, the CMSA noted.

China launched the Shenzhou-13 spaceship on Oct. 16, sending three taikonauts on a six-month mission to construct its space station.