Artemis II astronauts receive nation’s highest space honor for their successful moonshot
Summary
President Donald Trump awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four Artemis II astronauts who flew around the moon in April 2026. At the ceremony, he also announced the creation of a U.S. Space Academy to support NASA, the Space Force, and commercial space efforts.Key Facts
- The Artemis II crew included three Americans (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch) and one Canadian (Jeremy Hansen).
- They flew around the moon, coming within 4,067 miles of its surface, setting a new distance record for humans.
- This mission tested NASA’s new Orion spacecraft and launched on NASA’s new moon rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
- Artemis II was the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years.
- President Trump said the U.S. will land astronauts back on the moon before his term ends and plans to send humans to Mars soon after.
- The U.S. Space Academy announced will support the Space Force, NASA, and commercial space operations, though its location is still undecided.
- Prior to this event, only 30 astronauts had ever received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and other officials attended the ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
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