Astronauts Zhang Lu and Wu Fei, members of the Chinese Shenzhou-21 mission, successfully completed their first series of extravehicular activities (EVAs), marking the debut of new spacesuits specially designed for this task. According to Noticias Argentinas, this is the first time these state-of-the-art suits have been used in space. This mission marks the official debut of the second-generation Feitian extravehicular spacesuits, models 'D' and 'E', which were delivered to the space station by the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft on July 15th. The new suits maintain their characteristic white color but are distinguished by one having a red trim and the other a blue trim, facilitating their identification.
Significant improvements in safety and durability. Zhai Zhihong from the China Astronaut Research and Training Center highlighted the importance of this innovation: 'The extravehicular activities fully demonstrated the critical role of human capabilities in extravehicular operations, and the suits will provide a robust safety guarantee for the astronauts'.
One of the most significant improvements of these new suits is their operational lifespan. According to the center, durability has been optimized, improving from a previous standard of 15 EVAs over three years to a new, enhanced performance of 20 EVAs within a four-year period. The second-generation Feitian extravehicular spacesuits have been fundamental in reliably supporting all EVAs conducted during both the construction phase and the current operational phase of the Chinese space station, consolidating the technological capability of the Asian giant in space exploration.
