In-orbit use has exceeded 20 times, one set of extravehicular suits is about to "retire"

This morning, the press conference for the Shenzhou-21 manned spaceflight mission was held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The spokesperson introduced that compared to previous space suits, the two sets of extravehicular suits carried on the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft have been optimized and improved in terms of thermal comfort, human-machine interface, and operational safety, ensuring a more comfortable and convenient wearing experience for astronauts. Currently, one set of extravehicular suits in orbit has been used more than 20 times. Researchers have achieved on-orbit life extension based on the design specifications of 15 missions over 3 years, making it the first set of extravehicular suits to undergo life evaluation and extension while in orbit, effectively verifying the correctness of the extravehicular suit health monitoring evaluation model and methods. The plan is to no longer use this set of suits for extravehicular tasks, but detailed testing and research will be conducted on its key materials and characteristics. In the future, it will be brought back to Earth along with the new research spacecraft when the opportunity arises.