The three astronauts from China's Shenzhou-20 space mission were awarded medals and titles on Wednesday, in recognition of their service and contributions to China's space program.

Chen Dong received a first-class aerospace achievement medal, while Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie were awarded a third-class aerospace achievement medal and the title of "Heroic Astronaut".

The Shenzhou-20 mission, which ran from April to November 2025, marked the longest continuous space stay by a single crew, spanning over six months.

Throughout the mission, the astronauts conducted four spacewalks, seven cargo airlock operations and completed more than 120 equipment installations and upgrades of the space station. Additionally, the astronauts carried out a series of scientific experiments and technical tests in space.

Chen, having completed three space missions, successfully carried out six spacewalks, making him the first Chinese astronaut to remain in orbit for more than 400 days.

On November 4, 2025, Chen found small cracks – likely caused by space debris – in the viewport of the return capsule of Shenzhou-20. As a result, the return was delayed. The crew members switched to the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft and returned safely to Earth after 10 days.

The Shenzhou-20 spaceship, which has spent 270 days in orbit, landed on Earth carrying no astronauts on January 19, 2026.