President Donald J. Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, during a ceremony Friday at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The prestigious award recognizes the Artemis II crew for their historic lunar mission and marks the first presentation of the medal since 2023.
NASA’s historic Artemis II mission launched on April 1 and successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10. The four-person crew became the first astronauts to launch aboard NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and fly in the Orion spacecraft, which they named Integrity.
During the record-setting mission, the Artemis II astronauts traveled 252,756 miles from Earth—the farthest distance humans have ever reached. They surpassed the previous record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970. The mission covered a total of 695,081 miles, including a journey around the moon.
“We gather at this historic site to honor the immense courage of four brave space heroes, whose boldness and sense of adventure took them farther from Earth than anyone has ever traveled before,” President Trump said. “Today, we proudly award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II’s outstanding crew. These astronauts did not accomplish it alone, and we salute the engineers, scientists, launch and landing experts, and everyone at NASA who made this mission a huge success.”
Congress authorized the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1969 to recognize astronauts who demonstrate extraordinary bravery and make meritorious contributions during space missions, as well as those whose efforts benefit the nation and humanity. Thirty-four people have received the award since the beginning of the U.S. space program, including the Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia crews, who were honored posthumously.
“President Trump’s leadership has put America back on track to lead the world in space, from creating the Artemis program to giving NASA the resources and authority to win this new space race,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said. “The Artemis II crew answered that call with extraordinary skill and courage, once again showing the world what the moon is like and American leadership and exploration at its best.”
Isaacman credited NASA employees, commercial industry, and international partners for the mission’s success. “We will build on this success as we return to the lunar surface and establish a lasting presence there,” he said.
The successful Artemis II mission is helping prepare NASA for future lunar exploration. The Artemis III mission is planned as a 2027 test flight in low Earth orbit to demonstrate rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and a commercial human landing system. The Artemis IV mission, scheduled for 2028, is expected to support the return of American astronauts to the moon’s surface.
“It was the honor of my life to fly with Victor, Christina, and Jeremy on the lunar orbiter Integrity,” said Wiseman, who served as Artemis II mission commander. “President Trump’s visit to NASA’s Johnson Space Center to honor NASA and my crew underscores the importance of what our team accomplished. We can’t wait to see our friends continue this tradition with Artemis III.”
Glover served as the pilot of the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission.
“It was a profound honor to pilot Orion in space for the first time, made possible thanks to years of hard work, dedication, and expertise by countless people who dedicated their time and talent to this mission,” Glover said. “We share this recognition with the thousands of people who launched us around the moon and brought us safely back to Earth.”
Koch served as an Artemis II mission specialist.
“The response to our mission on Earth has exceeded everything we could have ever imagined and anything we could have hoped for,” Koch said. “We are grateful each time we hear from those who have accompanied us on our journey. As team members of this shared mission, we accept this award to honor those who make it happen, from the factory floor to the clean room to the mission control room.”
Hansen also served as a mission specialist and represented the Canadian Space Agency on the historic lunar mission.
“It is an honor to join the Artemis II crew in receiving the Congressional Space Medal of Honor,” Hansen said. “I share this recognition with the dedicated teams in Canada, the United States, and our international partners who made this mission possible. Artemis II demonstrated what can be achieved for humanity by setting ambitious goals and working together.”
Hansen added that Canada’s participation in Artemis extends beyond returning astronauts to the moon. “For Canada, the mission and the entire Artemis program are about more than just returning to the moon. It is a pursuit of excellence and collaboration,” he said.
As part of NASA’s efforts to advance innovation and space exploration, future Artemis missions will send astronauts on increasingly challenging journeys to study the moon and establish a lunar base for long-term exploration. These missions are also intended to help prepare NASA and its international partners for sending the first American astronauts to Mars.
-end-
Bethany Stevens / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
[email protected] / [email protected]
Brandi Dean / Chelsea Balarte
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
[email protected] / [email protected]
Source: www.nasa.gov