China Honors Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 Astronaut Crews in Beijing Ceremony

China held a high-level ceremony in Beijing on September 23 to confer honorary titles and meritorious medals on six astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 spaceflight missions. Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin presented the awards on behalf of President Xi Jinping and the military leadership. The honors, issued jointly by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission, recognized Shenzhou-20 crew members Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, alongside Shenzhou-21 crew members Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang.

The joint commendation represents China's highest state-level recognition for human spaceflight, underscoring the successful execution of routine crew rotation missions during the application and development phase of the Tiangong space station. The visible involvement of the PLA's Military Aerospace Force highlights the institutional alignment between civilian space achievements and military aerospace modernization.

China held a formal ceremony in Beijing on September 23 to confer honorary titles and award meritorious service medals to six astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 human spaceflight missions, according to official state media reports. Zhang Shengmin, a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), attended the event to deliver warm congratulations to the decorated astronauts and express greetings to workers across the aerospace sector on behalf of Chinese President and CMC Chairman Xi Jinping, as well as the military commission. The ceremony commenced with the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, followed by the reading of the joint decision issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission to grant honorary titles and medals of merit to the crew members. Zhang presented the medals and award certificates to the three members of the Shenzhou-20 crew—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—and the three members of the Shenzhou-21 crew—Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang. Veteran commanders Chen Dong and Zhang Lu were recognized alongside their newer crewmates, highlighting China's ongoing generational turnover across active flight cohorts. The proceedings concluded with the military anthem of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). Attendees included leadership officials from relevant CMC departments, officers and soldiers of the PLA Military Aerospace Force, and representatives involved in research, manufacturing, and testing across China's space enterprise. The joint issuance of such awards by the party center, the cabinet, and the supreme military command reflects the apex of national commendation in China's space hierarchy. The explicit presence of the Military Aerospace Force, established as part of the PLA's structural reforms to streamline space operations, underscores the close organizational integration between the defense apparatus and the country's flagship orbital programs.