Shenzhou 7

Shenzhou 7 was China's third crewed spaceflight and the country's first mission built around an EVA. The spacecraft launched from Jiuquan on September 25, 2008 with commander Zhai Zhigang, orbital-module astronaut Liu Boming, and return-module duty astronaut Jing Haipeng. During the flight, Zhai exited the spacecraft in a Chinese Feitian suit while Liu supported him from the hatch in a Russian Orlan suit and Jing assisted from inside the cabin. The crew also supported technology demonstrations including a small companion satellite and data-relay work. After about 68 hours in orbit, Shenzhou 7 landed in Inner Mongolia on September 28, 2008. The mission made China the third country to independently demonstrate human extravehicular-activity capability.