Academician Yuanxi Yang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Vice Chief Architect of the BeiDou Satellite Navigation System was awarded the ION Fellowship, “For the leadership and technical contributions to the development of the Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and his effort in promoting international collaboration in satellite navigation.” Academician Yuanxi Yang was unable to attend the meeting due to official business. Professor Mingquan Lu of Tsinghua University accepted the award on behalf of Academician Yuanxi Yang, and read out Yang's written acceptance speech. Academician Yang said, “Thanks to every colleague who was with me on the road of promoting the development of BDS and the GNSS international cooperation. This award is not only my personal reward, but also the honor of the entire BDS team. My team and I will continue to further enhance the p BDS performance and strengthen GNSS international exchanges and cooperation." 

The ION Early Achievement Award is the highest award in the field of international navigation for young scholars under the age of 35. It honors young scholars who have made outstanding contributions to international navigation science and technology in the early years of their academic career. Only one winner is selected globally each year. Dr. Zheng Yao, an associate professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering, Tsinghua University, received the ION Early Achievement Award in 2018, “For his pioneering contributions in developing new GNSS signals and multiplexing techniques, and advancing the Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) signal design.” In his acceptance speech, Dr Zheng Yao said that “I am honored to receive this award, thanks to the mentors and colleagues who were with me, and the experts in the entire BDS/GNSS field. I hope this award can further inspire me and other young scholars. On the research path of GNSS, we could bravely face various challenges and make new and greater contributions." 

The Institute of Navigation (ION) is the largest and most influential not-for-profit professional organization in the field of international navigation. Founded in 1945, the Institute has been dedicated to advancing the development of science and technology on Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) for more than 70 years. ION’s memberships are located in more than 50 countries around the world and cover all aspects of positioning, navigation and time service in the field of aerospace, aviation, navigation and terrene. Academician Yuanxi Yang and Dr. Zheng Yao became the first Chinese scientists who received the ION Annual Award. Their awards are of monumental significances, which not only reflect the affirmation by the international navigation academia on the outstanding contribution of the BDS scholars and the academic level of China’s satellite navigation, but also demonstrate the achievements of the system construction and internationalization development of BDS have gained international attention and recognition.