Trump Awards Artemis II Crew Congressional Space Medal of Honor
On August 28, 2026, President Donald Trump awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission during a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. This recognition was given to U.S. astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen, four months after their historic lunar flyby.
The Artemis II mission, which launched on April 1 and returned on April 10, 2026, marked the first human flight beyond low Earth orbit since 1972. The crew traveled a record 252,756 miles from Earth, with a total mission distance of 695,081 miles, aboard the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft named Integrity.
President Trump praised the crew's courage and the mission's significance, highlighting that they traveled further from Earth than any previous astronauts. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman commended the crew and NASA's workforce for exemplifying American leadership in space exploration.
Individual crew members expressed their gratitude, with Commander Reid Wiseman describing the award as "the honor of my lifetime." Pilot Victor Glover dedicated the recognition to those who contributed to the mission's success, while Mission Specialist Christina Koch acknowledged the efforts of those involved from "factory floors to mission control rooms." Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen emphasized the international collaboration exemplified by the mission.
The Congressional Space Medal of Honor is a rare distinction, with only 30 astronauts having received it prior to this ceremony.