President Donald J. Trump will present the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew in Houston this Friday [4].
The ceremony recognizes the first humans to fly aboard the Orion spacecraft and travel beyond the Moon, marking a critical milestone in the U.S. return to deep space exploration.
The event will take place on Aug. 28, 2026, at the Johnson Space Center [4]. The honors will be awarded to NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen [1]. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will also be present for the proceedings [1].
The Congressional Space Medal of Honor is the highest award the United States gives for spaceflight achievement [3]. The Artemis II crew earned the distinction during a historic test flight that launched on April 1, 2026 [1]. The mission lasted 10 days [1] and concluded on April 10, 2026 [1].
NASA said the ceremony invites the public to join as the president awards each of the crew members for their achievements [1]. The crew's flight served as a primary test of the Orion spacecraft's capabilities for future lunar landings.
President Trump will travel to Texas specifically to present the medals to the four astronauts [2]. The mission's success is viewed as a prerequisite for the subsequent Artemis missions, which aim to establish a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.
“The Congressional Space Medal of Honor is the highest award the United States gives for spaceflight achievement.”
The awarding of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor signals the official validation of the Artemis II mission as a success. By honoring the crew, the U.S. government confirms that the Orion spacecraft is flight-ready for human passengers beyond low-Earth orbit, clearing the operational path for the Artemis III mission to land humans on the Moon.
