Beijing, Nov 08: China's military has conferred the title of "heroic astronauts team" to the country's astronautics research group for its outstanding performance during the past five years, the state media reported today. Established in January 1998, the team has performed outstandingly in both the training of astronauts and the country's first manned space mission, Xinhua news agency quoted an order signed by the chairman the central military commission, Jiang Zemin.

On October 15, Yang Liwei, 38, a member of the team, entered outer space aboard the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre and landed safely as planned in north China the next day, after making 14 orbits of the earth in 21 hours. The successful mission made China the third country after Russia and the US to put people into space.

The Chinese government and ruling Communist Party had yesterday bestowed the title "space hero" on Yang. Bureau Report