Trump Awards Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II Crew

The Artemis II astronauts who flew around the moon earlier this year received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on Friday. President Donald Trump presented the award to the three Americans and one Canadian whose April lunar flyby set a new distance record for humanity. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and other dignitaries participated in the ceremony at Houston's Johnson Space Center. Trump announced the creation of a U.S. Space Academy for the Space Force, NASA, and the commercial space community, stating that the academy's location is yet to be determined. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada's Jeremy Hansen became the first astronauts to travel to the moon in over 50 years, coming within 4,067 miles (6,545 kilometers) while testing NASA's new Orion capsule. They were also the first to launch aboard NASA's new moon rocket, which had previously launched only once from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. The crew did not land on the moon but set the stage for next year's Artemis III docking rehearsal in orbit around Earth, with a potential moon landing by Artemis IV as soon as 2028. Trump stated that Americans will return to the moon before his term ends and mentioned Mars as the next destination. He referred to the astronauts as 'four intrepid space heroes' and acknowledged the contributions of all involved in the Artemis II mission. Only 30 astronauts have received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor prior to this group, with many awarded posthumously. The first recipient was Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong in 1969. The most recent recipients were Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, awarded by President Joe Biden in 2023. The ceremony included participation from numerous astronauts, including Apollo 17 moonwalker Harrison Schmitt. NASA plans to establish a sustainable moon base near the lunar south pole, where frozen water could be converted into rocket fuel and drinking water. The Artemis II astronauts presented Trump with a blue flight jacket featuring space patches. The president then contacted the three U.S. astronauts aboard the International Space Station to inform them of the new U.S. Space Academy.