Four astronauts from the Artemis II mission have been selected to receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest award for space achievements. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will accept the medal during a ceremony scheduled at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The selection was made by President Donald Trump following a recommendation from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
The Artemis II crew completed a 10-day mission that began in April, during which they traveled farther from Earth than any previous human spaceflight. The crew reached a distance of 252,756 miles, surpassing the Apollo 13 record established in 1970 of 248,655 miles. The mission concluded with a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
According to NASA records, only 30 astronauts have previously received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Notable recipients include Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, and John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth who later served in the US Senate. The award has also been given posthumously to astronauts lost in the Apollo I fire and the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters.
The medal ceremony will be streamed live on NASA’s website beginning at 11am. This recognition comes four months after Trump hosted the Artemis II crew at the White House. The award reflects the mission’s significance within the broader US space program goals to return astronauts to the lunar surface and eventually reach Mars.
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