In a remarkable achievement for its ambitious space program, China has announced that two of its astronauts have completed a record-breaking spacewalk lasting over nine hours! This impressive feat, carried out on December 17 by astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong outside the Tiangong space station, has eclipsed a previous record held by NASA astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms since 2001 by a striking four minutes.

During this daring mission, part of China's Shenzhou-19 flight, the astronauts donned advanced Feitian spacesuits to tackle a series of crucial tasks on the space station's exterior. Notably, they successfully installed devices designed to protect against space debris—an increasingly critical issue as more nations and private entities venture into orbit.

According to Wu Hao, a staff member from the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre, both astronauts were not only successful but also overwhelmed with excitement about their accomplishments. This milestone further cements China's impressive advancements in space exploration, a realm that was historically dominated by the United States and the former Soviet Union.

Since the first-ever spacewalk by a Soviet cosmonaut in 1965, countless others have followed, primarily around the International Space Station (ISS). However, China's recent endeavors mark a significant shift in the global space race, especially with their astronauts participating in spacewalks since 2008.

This notable achievement comes on the heels of several other significant milestones for China's space program. Just in the last couple of years, the country successfully landed its first rover on Mars in 2021 and, earlier in 2024, became the first nation to retrieve samples from the Moon's elusive far side in its groundbreaking Chang'e-6 mission.

Looking ahead, Beijing has set its sights on returning humans to the Moon by 2030, aiming to become the second nation ever to achieve this monumental task after the United States. China is also actively collaborating with around a dozen countries on its International Lunar Research Station project, which seeks to establish a permanent lunar base at the Moon's South Pole. This initiative has emerged as a notable competitor to NASA's Artemis program, which is planning to send astronauts back to the Moon for the first time since the last Apollo mission in 1972.

As the space race heats up, all eyes will be on China's next ambitious moves in the cosmos! Stay tuned for updates on what this means for the future of space exploration!