China’s Tiangong space station encountered a critical issue when its core module, Tianhe, suffered damage to its solar wings from space debris.

In response, the Chinese astronauts conducted two historic spacewalks to carry out repairs. The successful repairs, confirmed by Xinhua, restored full functionality to the solar arrays.

The spacewalks, conducted by the Shenzhou 17 crew, lasted nearly 16 hours in total.

Although the exact timing and nature of the impact remain unclear, China’s space agency is taking proactive measures to mitigate future risks.

These include reinforcing extravehicular equipment and improving collision prediction capabilities, Gizmodo reported.

With the proliferation of spacecraft in orbit, the threat of space debris collisions is increasing, underscoring the importance of such measures.

Written by B.C. Begley