The three astronauts Chen Dong (C), Chen Zhongrui (R) and Wang Jie from China's Shenzhou-20 crewed mission salute during a press conference in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Minggang)
BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The three astronauts who participated in the Shenzhou-20 crewed mission were on Wednesday awarded medals for their contributions to China's space program.
Chen Dong was presented with a first-class aerospace achievement medal. Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie each received a third-class aerospace achievement medal, as well as the honorary title of "Heroic Astronaut."
The award decision was jointly made by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission.
Chen Dong has taken part in three spaceflight missions -- Shenzhou-11, Shenzhou-14 and Shenzhou-20 -- and completed a total of six extravehicular activities (EVAs), making him China's first astronaut to remain in orbit for over 400 days.
Chen Zhongrui carried out three EVAs during the Shenzhou-20 mission, which was his first spaceflight mission.
Spaceflight engineer Wang Jie fulfilled all his assigned tasks with excellence.
The trio conducted four EVAs, performed seven cargo transfer missions via the cargo airlock module, completed over 120 tasks related to the construction, upgrading, maintenance and repair of the space station, and conducted a series of space science experiments and technology tests.
The Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft was launched on April 24, 2025, and later docked successfully with China's space station. Its return was postponed in early November 2025 due to a suspected space debris impact incident.
Following a series of preparations, the Shenzhou-20 crew returned safely to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft on Nov. 14, 2025. Eleven days later, China carried out the emergency launch of the uncrewed Shenzhou-22 spacecraft, which is expected to serve as a return vessel for the three Shenzhou-21 astronauts currently in orbit.
The Shenzhou-20 crew spent 204 days in orbit, setting a record for the longest in-orbit stay by a Chinese astronaut crew.
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