Artemis II astronauts get nation’s highest space honor for successful moonshot

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, August 30, 2026

The four Artemis II astronauts were honored with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for their April lunar flyby mission, the first crewed journey around the moon in over five decades. This recognition underscores the mission’s role in advancing NASA’s plans to return humans to the lunar surface and eventually send astronauts to Mars.

The four astronauts who participated in the Artemis II mission earlier this year were awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor during a ceremony on August 29 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The award is the highest recognition given by the United States for contributions to space exploration.

President Donald Trump presented the medals to Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Their April lunar flyby marked the first crewed mission to travel around the moon in more than 50 years, setting a new distance record by reaching approximately 4,067 miles (6,545 kilometers) from Earth. The crew flew aboard NASA’s Orion capsule, launched atop the agency’s new moon rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

During the event, President Trump announced plans to establish a U.S. Space Academy to support the Space Force, NASA, and the commercial space sector. He did not specify the academy's future location but emphasized the critical importance of space exploration moving forward. Trump reiterated his administration’s goal of returning astronauts to the lunar surface before the end of his term and expressed ambitions for a manned mission to Mars “very shortly.”

The Artemis II mission did not include a lunar landing but served as a pivotal step to prepare for upcoming missions. Artemis III is set to conduct a docking rehearsal in Earth orbit in the near future, with Artemis IV expected to attempt a moon landing near the lunar south pole by 2028. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the crew as exemplary representatives of the United States in space and recognized the broader team behind the mission’s success.

The Congressional Space Medal of Honor has previously been awarded to just 30 individuals, many posthumously. Pioneering astronauts such as Neil Armstrong, who famously declared “That’s one step for man, one giant leap for mankind” during Apollo 11’s 1969 moon landing, were among the earliest recipients. Other notable honorees include Alan Shepard, John Glenn, and Frank Borman, recognized for their groundbreaking missions during the 1960s and 1970s.

More recently, in 2023, astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken received the award from President Joe Biden for their historic 2020 SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station. Their flight marked the restoration of American crew launch capabilities following the retirement of the Space Shuttle program. The Artemis II award ceremony continues this tradition, honoring astronauts who push the boundaries of human spaceflight.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.