Wang Yongzhi, one of the most renowned rocket scientists in China who played a leading role in the country's manned spaceflight endeavors, has been given the nation's top honor posthumously.

According to an order recently signed by President Xi Jinping, Wang, who passed away in Beijing at 91 in June, was among the four distinguished figures awarded with the Medal of the Republic, China's top honor.

Wang was the second scientist in China's space community to be given the Medal of the Republic, following Sun Jiadong, a top rocket and satellite researcher who was awarded in 2019.