Long March 2F Emergency Launch Team Honored with China Youth May 4 Medal Collective Award
Summary: On April 27, 2026, the results of the 2026 China Youth May 4 Medal and New Era Youth Pioneer Award were officially announced. The Long March 2F launch vehicle emergency launch task team at China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), affiliated with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, was honored with the "China Youth May 4 Medal Collective" award. This team of over 50 members has long been responsible for the development of the Long March 2F crewed launch vehicle, which is China's only professional team with full-process production capability for crewed rockets, maintaining a 100% product delivery success rate for Shenzhou spacecraft missions for consecutive years.
Credit: Tencent News (reproduced with authorization)
Team Overview
The Long March 2F emergency launch task team is a young and dynamic research team, with 61% of members under 35 years old. This team of over 50 members has long been responsible for the development of China's Long March 2F crewed launch vehicle, which is the only professional team in China with full-process production capability for crewed rockets.
The Long March 2F launch vehicle, known as the "Divine Arrow," is currently China's only crewed launch vehicle. From rocket development to launch preparation, the team controls every technical detail to ensure that the crew "does not launch with hidden dangers or unresolved issues."
Honors and Achievements
In recent years, the team has successively received honors including the National Outstanding Youth Civilization Unit and the National Youth Workplace Safety Demonstration Post. It has produced 11 technical experts and 9 young backbone members, obtained 3 national patents and 1 national standard, and updated over 40 professional assembly technical standards.
On November 25, 2025, the team successfully executed China's first crewed space emergency launch mission—the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft emergency launch. When the original return mission was delayed due to the risk of impact by space debris, the team rose to the challenge and completed all assembly and testing work within just 16 days, achieving both speed and quality assurance and fully demonstrating the team's exceptional ability to handle emergency tasks.
Emergency Launch and Shenzhou-22
At 12:11 Beijing time on November 25, 2025, the Long March 2F Yaoyi-22 launch vehicle carrying the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Approximately 10 minutes later, the spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit, marking a complete success for the launch mission. This was the first emergency launch in China's crewed space program, showcasing the Long March 2F team's exceptional capabilities at critical moments.
The team has also undertaken the development of launch vehicle support for previous crewed missions including Shenzhou-21 and Shenzhou-22, maintaining a 100% product delivery success rate and providing solid guarantees for the smooth progress of China's crewed space program.