Shenzhou XIX astronauts prepare for second spacewalk

The astronauts of the Shenzhou XIX mission aboard China's Tiangong space station are scheduled to carry out their second spacewalk in the coming days, the China Manned Space Agency said on Sunday.

The three astronauts — mission commander Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe, Lieutenant Colonel Song Lingdong and Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haoze — have been aboard the station for nearly three months since their arrival on Oct 30. They made their first spacewalk on Dec 17 to install space debris shield devices and check the condition of extravehicular equipment.

"The crew members are in good spirits, and the Tiangong space station remains in stable condition. The astronauts will perform their second spacewalk in due course," the agency said in a brief news release.

Cai and his team are the eighth crew to live aboard the Tiangong station, one of the largest orbiting outposts ever deployed. The crew is expected to return to Earth in late April or early May.