Artemis II Crew Gets Highest U.S. Space Award
The Artemis II crew receives the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. space award, following their historic lunar flyby.
The update
President Donald J. Trump awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four members of NASA’s Artemis II crew on Aug. 28, 2026. The recipients are NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman. The ceremony took place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The medal was authorized by Congress in 1969 to recognize astronauts for exceptionally brave and meritorious efforts and contributions to the nation and humanity.
Why it matters
This marks the first time the award has been granted since 2023, following the successful completion of the Artemis II mission. Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026, and splashed down safely on April 10. It was the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program and the first crewed trip beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The mission sent the astronauts on a looping journey around the lunar far side, traveling farther from Earth than any people had before.
What to watch
The award signals a strong political and institutional endorsement of the Artemis program. This recognition may influence the timeline and public support for the upcoming Artemis III mission, which aims to land humans on the lunar surface. The Artemis program is designed to establish a long-term base near the moon’s south pole in the coming years.