On This Day | Astronaut Zhai Zhigang conducts China’s first spacewalk, breaking 4 decades of US, Russian dominance — from the SCMP archive
- Fifteen years after the milestone for China’s space programme, we revisit our coverage of the historic event on September 27, 2008
- It was the first maiden spacewalk to be broadcast live on television, with millions watching Zhai Zhigang emerge from Shenzhou 7
By Stephen Chen
A Chinese astronaut completed the country’s first spacewalk on Saturday, breaking a technological stranglehold that the United States and Russia had enjoyed for more than four decades.
“I’m feeling quite well. Greetings to all the people of the nation and all the people of the world,” said Colonel Zhai Zhigang as he floated out of the hatch of the space module at 4.41pm Beijing time, watched by millions on live television.
Experts said the successful mission would pave the way for the construction of China’s first space station and for manned missions to the moon.
Chen Shanguang, director of the China Astronaut Centre, said on CCTV: “The entire manned programme is about quality. From astronaut training to spacesuits and spacecraft, we must have zero flaws. It is not a goal. It is a starting line.”
Wearing his Chinese-made Feitian spacesuit, Colonel Zhai - a 42-year-old fighter pilot - began to open the hatch at about 4.30pm. A stiff latch and hatch delayed his departure from the space module. After struggling for nearly 10 minutes, and with the help of his colleague Colonel Liu Boming , Colonel Zhai emerged from the hatch and into space, waving to the camera.