Human spaceflight

Shenzhou 21 completed its second spacewalk at 19:35 Beijing time on March 16, 2026, after about seven hours. Zhang Lu and Wu Fei worked outside while Zhang Hongzhang supported the operation. With robotic-arm and ground-team assistance, they installed debris-protection equipment and returned safely to Wentian. CMSE confirmed success. Zhang Lu had completed six spacewalks by this milestone, among the highest totals for Chinese astronauts at the time; it is not a final annual count. Since the first spacewalk, the crew had maintained station equipment, monitored the environment and health, and trained for rendezvous, medical assistance and emergency rescue. Life-science, human-research, microgravity and space-technology experiments continued alongside maintenance. The crew had then spent more than four months in orbit. Further spacewalks and experiments were planned. This entry records the second spacewalk, keeping later activities and the crew's eventual return as separate events.