Tiangong: Expedition 8

Expedition 8 began with undocking of Shenzhou-18 on November 03, 2024.

At 08:30 UTC on November 10, the Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft successfully depart from the Tiangong space station complex and entered the independent flight phase. It will re-enter the atmosphere in a controlled manner at an appropriate time in the near future.
Most of the cargo spacecraft's devices will be ablated and destroyed during the re-entry process, and a small amount of debris will fall into the designated safe waters in the South Pacific.

A Long March7 Y9 rocket carrying Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft, blasted off at 15:13 UTC on November 15, 2024 from Wenchang Space Launch Site.
Tianzhou-8 spaceship carries about 6 tonnes of supplies, to meet the daily needs of Shenzhou-19 & Shenzhou-20 crews, including fresh fruits, vegetables. Gifts for the Chinese New Year were also promoted.
Tianzhou-8 carried bricks made of lunar simulant. These will be placed outside Tiangong for ~3 years to assess the impact of the harsh outer space environment. Results will help inform plans for future lunar habitats related to China's ILRS.
About 10 minutes later, Tianzhou-8 separated from the rocket and entered orbit. Later, its solar panels were deployed, marking a successful launch.
Docking to the aft port of Tianhe has occurred at 18:32 UTC.

A few days before the arrival of Tianzhou-8, an emergency drill was conducted using three old air cylinders. A sudden pressure drop was simulated. Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze had to put on special vests and respirators to search for the "leak".

In another exercise, an injury to Cai Xuzhe was simulated. The two other crew members had to assemble a folded stretcher and secure it to the ground.

Later in the flight, the inspection of the spacewalk suits, which were certified for 3 years and 15 EVA missions, was scheduled.

Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong completed the first EVA of this resident crew on December 17, 2024 (9h 06m). After 9 hours of extravehicular activities, Shenzhou-19 crew astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze worked closely together, and with the support of the space station's robotic arm and ground scientific researchers, completed the installation of the space station's space debris protection device, the inspection and disposal of extravehicular equipment and facilities, and other tasks. Cai Xuzhe attached the temperature control system's piping to the outside of the core module using cables. After completing the assembly work, the next step was to inspect the solar panels for damage caused by micrometeorites and space impacts. During this inspection, the rotation of the solar panel blades had to be stopped. Finally, Cai Xuzhe discovered that damage had occurred during the deployment of payload through the Mengtian module's cargo hatch. With the help of Wang Haoze, who operated the robotic arm, the damage was repaired.
Astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong have safely returned to the Wentian Experimental Module (9h 06m). The extravehicular activities were a complete success, breaking the record of the length of extravehicular activities.

On January 1, 2025, the crew unveiled the "Little Astronaut." This is a small drone that is propelled through Tiangong by small propellers. It can be used to take photographs and is controlled by voice commands.

Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong performed the second spacewalk on January, 20 2025 (8h 17m). Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze (from inside the station) worked for 8.5 hours to complete multiple tasks, including the installation of space debris protection devices and an extravehicular inspection. They were assisted by the space station's robotic arm and a team on Earth. Cai and Song, the two crew members assigned to undertake spacewalk duties, have since returned to the Wentian lab module safely.
Since completing their first spacewalk on December 17, 2024, the crew members have undertaken a series of tasks, including the inspection and maintenance of the space station's equipment, system-wide pressure emergency drills, and preparations for the second series of EVAs.

The Chinese crew of Shenzhou-19 completed their seven-hour spacewalk on March 21, 2025, at 12:50 UTC (7h 05m). Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze (from inside the station) installed debris shields and upgraded their equipment. Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong also inspected the two external cameras and antennas for damage. Cai Xuzhe received high praise for completing his fifth spacewalk, making him China's most experienced astronaut.

Shenzhou-20 docked on 24.04.2025 at 15:49 UTC to the space station Tiangong and the astronauts became members of TG-8.

The landing of Shenzhou-19 had to be postponed by one day due to strong winds in the landing area and the dust caused by them.

Expedition 8 concluded with the undocking of Shenzhou-19 on April 29, 2025.