Zhai Zhigang, 55, mission commander of Shenzhou-13, opened the hatch of the core cabin Tianhe at 18:51 p.m. (1051 GMT) on Sunday, and was joined by Wang for a space walk that lasted 6-1/2 hours.

The duo returned to the module at 1:16 a.m. (1716 GMT Sunday) on Monday, CCTV said. A third astronaut, Ye Guangfu, assisted the pair from inside the core module.

Crewed space exploration would be incomplete without the participation of women, Yang Yuguang, vice chair of the Space Transportation Committee for the International Astronautical Federation, told state-controlled Global Times.

Shenzhou-13 is the second of four crewed missions needed to complete China’s space station by the end of 2022.

During the first such mission that ended in September, three other astronauts stayed on Tianhe for 90 days.

The current mission, launched on Oct. 16, will last for six months. (Reporting Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)