BEIJING, Sept 27: A Chinese astronaut on Saturday became the first in his country’s history to complete a spacewalk, a feat President Hu Jintao hailed as a “major breakthrough” for the emerging space power.

Mission commander Zhai Zhigang left the Shenzhou VII spacecraft at 4:43 pm Beijing time (0843 GMT) to float in orbit for just under 15 minutes, making China the third country to complete a spacewalk after the United States and the former Soviet Union.

“I feel well,” said Zhai, the leader of the Shenzhou VII’s three-man crew, waving to a camera outside the spacecraft. “I am greeting the Chinese people and the people of the world.” The spacewalk, broadcast live on television, was the highlight of the 68-hour voyage — China’s third manned foray into space — and considered an important step towards building a space station, China’s next major ambition in space.

“Your spacewalk was a complete success. It’s a major breakthrough in the development of our manned space programme,” Hu, standing inside the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre, told the astronaut by radio.

“The motherland and the people thank you,” Hu said in the televised conversation.

The spacecraft was now due to return to Earth on Sunday at 5:00pm (0900GMT), Wang Zhaoyao, spokesman for China’s manned space programme, told journalists.

The spacewalk was likely to stir up patriotic emotions ahead of China’s October 1 National Day, which will mark the 59th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic.—AFP