Three astronauts from the Shenzhou-17 crewed mission were awarded medals on Friday for their service to China’s space endeavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission presented the awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tang Shengjie, the youngest astronaut to have entered China’s space station, celebrated his 34th birthday during his first spaceflight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jiang was assigned the role of chief operator for extravehicular maintenance activities and completed the task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the mission, the three astronauts carried out two extravehicular activities and approximately 100 space application experiments and tests in orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n