China honors Shenzhou-17 mission astronauts with medals

Chinese astronauts Tang Hongbo (R), Tang Shengjie (C) and Jiang Xinlin attend a see-off ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Oct. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Zhipeng)

BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Three astronauts from the Shenzhou-17 crewed mission were awarded medals on Friday for their service to China's space endeavors.

Tang Hongbo was honored with a second-class aerospace achievement medal, while Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin received third-class medals and the honorary title of "heroic astronauts."

The awards were presented by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission.

The mission marked crew commander Tang Hongbo's second journey to the space station. During a recently held press conference, he said he felt honored to witness and participate in the remarkable advancements of the country's manned spaceflights.

Tang Shengjie, the youngest astronaut to have entered China's space station, celebrated his 34th birthday during his first spaceflight.

Jiang was assigned the role of chief operator for extravehicular maintenance activities and successfully completed the task.

China launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship on Oct. 26, 2023. The trio returned to Earth on April 30 this year after spending a record-breaking 187 days in orbit, surpassing the duration of previous crews.

During the mission, the three astronauts carried out two extravehicular activities and approximately 100 space application experiments and tests in orbit.