Trump awards Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II astronauts

International, North America

HOUSTON, United States (NPA) — United States President Donald Trump has awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — in recognition of their record-breaking lunar voyage and service to humanity.

The medals were presented on August 28, 2026, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The Congressional Space Medal of Honor, established in 1969, is the highest United States distinction awarded to astronauts for exceptional bravery and outstanding contributions to the nation’s space programme.

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The latest presentation marked the first time the medal had been awarded since 2023, bringing the total number of recipients to 34.

Artemis II crew

Reid Wiseman, a United States Navy captain and veteran astronaut, served as commander of the Artemis II mission. Wiseman previously flew to the International Space Station in 2014 and was responsible for overseeing mission operations and crew safety.

Victor Glover served as the mission’s pilot. A United States Navy test pilot, Glover became the first African American astronaut to live aboard the International Space Station during an extended mission in 2020.

Christina Koch, a mission specialist and engineer, previously set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman after spending 328 days in space between 2019 and 2020.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen also served as a mission specialist, becoming the first Canadian to travel beyond low Earth orbit.

Record-breaking lunar journey

The Artemis II mission was launched on April 1, 2026, aboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

The four astronauts travelled aboard the Orion spacecraft, nicknamed Integrity, on a historic journey that marked humanity’s first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit in more than five decades.

During the 10-day mission, the spacecraft travelled as far as 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the distance record previously associated with the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

The Artemis II crew travelled a total of 695,081 miles, including a lunar flyby, before safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.

President Trump described the astronauts as “fearless explorers” and also praised the NASA engineers, scientists and other personnel involved in making the mission possible.

The US President further announced plans for the creation of a United States Space Academy, modelled after military institutions including West Point and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, to train future generations of space professionals.

The Artemis II mission is expected to serve as a major step towards future human exploration of the Moon, including the planned Artemis III mission and a future lunar landing programme.

The award places Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen among the astronauts whose contributions have helped shape the history of space exploration.