Shenzhou XX crew to embark on first spacewalk soon

The Shenzhou XX mission crew members aboard China's Tiangong space station are scheduled to carry out their first spacewalk in the coming days, the China Manned Space Agency said on Wednesday.

The three orbital travelers — mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crew members Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie — have been aboard the station for nearly one month since their arrival on April 25.

They have conducted a host of assignments including examinations and maintenance work on instruments, installation of intravehicular devices, monitoring of inner environment, as well as tests on spacewalk suits. The astronauts have also done rehearsals in medical emergency response and engaged in scientific and technological tasks, the agency said in a news release.

"The crew members are in good spirits, and the Tiangong space station remains in stable condition. The astronauts will perform their first spacewalk in due course," it said.

The Shenzhou XX crew is conducting China's 15th manned spaceflight and has become the ninth group of residents aboard the Tiangong, which is currently the only operational space station independently run by a single nation.

Their predecessors in the Shenzhou XIX flight made three spacewalks during their six-month mission.