HONG KONG — China says two of its astronauts completed a nine-hour spacewalk Tuesday, a figure that beats the US-held record for the world’s longest spacewalk set in 2001, in the latest milestone in the country’s ambitious space program.

Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, crew members of the Shenzhou-19 spaceflight, wrapped the nine-hour extravehicular activity, better known as a spacewalk, just before 10 p.m. Beijing time, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The previous record of eight hours and 56 minutes was set by US astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms on March 12, 2001, according to NASA.

China has mounted a significant effort to establish itself as a major player in space – a domain that nations, including the United States, are increasingly looking to not only for scientific benefit, but also with an eye to resources and national security.

The China National Space Administration has in recent years carried out a series of increasingly complex robotic lunar missions, including the first-ever return of lunar samples from the far side of the moon earlier this year.

It has also been angling to become the second country, after the US, to land on the moon, and has unveiled a specially designed spacesuit for the mission, set to take place by 2030. — CNN