The three crew members of China's Shenzhou-18 mission—Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu—were awarded medals on Thursday for their contributions to the nation's space endeavors.
Ye Guangfu received a second-class aerospace achievement medal, while Li Cong and Li Guangsu were each awarded third-class aerospace achievement medals and the honorary title of \"Heroic Astronaut.\" Ye, a veteran astronaut, was previously honored with the \"Heroic Astronaut\" title in 2022.
The accolades were bestowed by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission.
China launched the Shenzhou-18 crewed spacecraft on April 25, 2024. This mission marked Commander Ye's second journey to China's space station, where he lived for approximately six months. He previously spent six months aboard the station during the Shenzhou-13 mission, becoming the country's first astronaut to have lived in orbit for over a year.
For Li Cong and Li Guangsu, Shenzhou-18 was their inaugural spaceflight mission. Li Cong, the youngest member of the crew, successfully completed all assigned tasks, while Li Guangsu installed the first space debris protection device on the space station during his first spacewalk.
During the Shenzhou-18 mission, the trio conducted two extravehicular activities and performed nearly 100 space science experiments and in-orbit application payload tests.
The astronauts returned to Earth on November 4, 2024, after spending a record-breaking 192 days in orbit.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
