Three astronauts from China's historic Shenzhou-20 space mission were awarded prestigious state honors on January 21, 2026, recognizing their contributions to advancing the nation's space program. Chen Dong received the First-grade Space Service Medal, while crewmates Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie were granted Third-grade medals along with "Heroic Astronaut" titles.
The 2025 mission set multiple records, including the longest continuous crewed spaceflight in Chinese history at over six months. During their orbital stay, the team conducted four critical spacewalks and completed 120 technical upgrades to China's space station infrastructure.
"This mission pushed the boundaries of human endurance in space," a program spokesperson noted, highlighting Commander Chen Dong's personal milestone of 400 cumulative days in orbit across three missions.
The crew demonstrated exceptional problem-solving when discovering micrometeoroid damage to their return capsule in November 2025. After a 10-day delay, they safely returned using the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft. The original Shenzhou-20 vehicle completed its 270-day mission with an uncrewed landing on January 19, 2026.
These developments come as China continues expanding its Tiangong space station capabilities, with scientists currently analyzing mission data to improve future long-duration spaceflight systems.
