Shenzhou XVI crew members given honors

The crew of Shenzhou XVI — Jing Haipeng (center), Zhu Yangzhu (right) and Gui Haichao (left) — make their first official public appearance at Beijing Aerospace City on Friday since they returned from space 80 days ago. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/China Daily]

Shenzhou XVI crew members Major General Jing Haipeng, Colonel Zhu Yangzhu and Professor Gui Haichao have received awards from the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission, China Central Television reported on Thursday.

Jing was honored with a special-class aerospace achievement medal. Zhu and Gui received third-class aerospace achievement medals and the honorary title of "Heroic Astronaut."

The three crew members spent five months in China's Tiangong space station from May last year in the nation's 11th manned spaceflight and the fifth crewed mission to the space station.

Jing and spaceflight engineer Zhu are members of the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Division, while Gui, who served as the mission's payload specialist, is a doctoral supervisor at Beijing-based Beihang University's Department of Spacecraft and Launch Vehicle Technology.

The Shenzhou XVI mission was Jing's fourth journey into space, making him China's most experienced astronaut.

Jiang Chenglong contributed to this story.