In a ceremony full of national pride and cosmic history, President Donald Trump awarded four astronauts the Congressional Space Medal of Honor — the highest space honor the United States can bestow — for their pioneering work on NASA's Artemis II mission.
The recipients were NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Together, the crew of the Orion spacecraft — which they named Integrity — flew further from Earth than any humans have ever traveled, reaching a distance of 252,756 miles from our planet during a lunar flyby on April 4–10, 2026. Their journey surpassed the previous distance record set by the crew of Apollo 13 in 1970.
"We gather on these historic grounds to celebrate the immense courage of four intrepid space heroes whose sense of daring and adventure led them further from Earth than anyone has ever traveled — ever before," President Trump said during the ceremony at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Today we're proudly awarding the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the remarkable crew of Artemis II."
The Congressional Space Medal of Honor was authorized by Congress in 1969 to recognize astronauts who have distinguished themselves through exceptionally brave and meritorious contributions to humanity and the nation. The Artemis II crew are now among only 34 individuals ever to have received the award since the beginning of the space program.
The Artemis II mission, which launched on April 1, 2026, was the first crewed mission under NASA's Artemis program and the first time astronauts had traveled beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo era. Flying aboard the agency's Space Launch System rocket, the crew completed a 10-day voyage that included a close lunar flyby at just 6,400 miles from the Moon's surface, capturing images and data that thrilled scientists and the public alike.
"It was the honor of my lifetime to fly on Integrity around the Moon with Victor, Christina, and Jeremy," said Commander Wiseman. "Having President Trump here at Johnson Space Center to honor NASA and my crew underscores the significance of what our teams accomplished."
Victor Glover, who served as pilot, credited the thousands of engineers, scientists, and technicians who made the mission possible. "Piloting Orion for the first time in space was a profound honor, made possible because of years of hard work and dedication by countless individuals," he said.
Christina Koch — the first woman to travel beyond Earth orbit — said the recognition belonged not just to the crew but to the entire NASA community. "The response from people around the world showed us just how much this mission meant — not only for science, but for what it represents about human capability and ambition," she said.
Jeremy Hansen, the first Canadian to fly on a lunar mission, reflected on what the voyage meant for international space exploration. "This was a mission that brought together the best of NASA and the Canadian Space Agency," he said. "I am immensely proud to have been part of it."
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the ceremony a moment of reflection and forward momentum. "The Artemis II crew answered the call with extraordinary skill and courage, showing the world the Moon again — and what American leadership and exploration look like at their best," he said.
The mission is now paving the way for Artemis III, currently scheduled for 2027, and Artemis IV in 2028, which will carry American astronauts back to the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. For the Artemis II crew, Friday's ceremony was both a conclusion and a beginning — a recognition of one extraordinary journey and a reminder of the even greater voyages still to come.
