Chinese Astronauts Brace for Space Walk
September 26, 2008![Chinese astronauts walk to the rocket before the launch of the Shenzhou-7 manned spacecraft on 25 September 2008.](https://static.dw.com/image/3673729_800.webp)
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Astronaut Zhai Zhigang is expected to undertake a spacewalk on Saturday afternoon, an event which will be broadcast live by state television.
The walk is expected to last for at least 20 minutes. The Shenzhou 7 spacecraft is China's third manned mission in past five years.
The mission is expected to last three or four days. China aims to assemble a permanent space station by 2020.
In October 2003, China became only the third nation after the United States and Russia to independently put a man in space.