China's Maiden Spacewalk to Be Broadcast Live

One of the three Chinese astronauts aboard the Shenzhou 7 spaceship will conduct China's first spacewalk at 4:30 PM Beijing Time on Saturday.

Wang Zhaoyao, spokesperson of the manned space program, introduced at a press conference on Friday that the EVA or spacewalk will last 20 minutes.

"The astronauts will walk in space for about 20 minutes. That is our plan. But it really depends on what kind of standard you use to calculate the specific time of EVA. For example. If you calculate the time between the opening of the inner door and its closing, then the whole EVA may take 30 to 40 minutes."

Wang Zhaoyao added that the astronauts and the spacecraft have been well positioned to carry out the historic activity in space.

"According to the astronauts' latest report and the monitoring results of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, the spacecraft is operating normally. The astronauts are working smoothly and their physical condition is very good."

China will broadcast live the nation's maiden spacewalk slated to take place on Saturday afternoon.