Key facts
- The Artemis II crew will receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on August 28.
- Cmdr Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are the recipients.
- The mission set a record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth.
- The crew reached 252,756 miles from Earth during their 10-day mission.
- The award is the US's top space medal.
The crew of the Artemis II lunar flyby mission, Cmdr Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, are set to receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on August 28. Nasa announced that the astronauts will be honored for their historic journey, which began on April 1 and saw them travel farther from Earth than any previous human mission, surpassing Apollo 13's record.
During their 10-day mission, the Artemis II crew reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles (406,771km) from Earth as they flew above the lunar surface. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the US's plans to return humans to the moon and eventually travel to Mars.
President Donald Trump recommended the crew for the medal after a recommendation from Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Trump had previously hosted the Artemis II crew at the White House. Wiseman described the mission as a "special thing to be a human" and expressed appreciation for being on planet Earth.
Previous recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor include astronauts who perished in space shuttle disasters and the Apollo I fire, as well as pioneers like Neil Armstrong and John Glenn. The last astronauts to receive the medal before the Artemis II crew were Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken in 2023, during Joe Biden's presidency, for their 2020 mission on a commercial spacecraft.
The announcement comes amidst discussions about Nasa's budget, with Trump's administration proposing significant cuts for the 2027 fiscal year, including for space science initiatives. However, a House subcommittee has advanced its own proposal to maintain funding for these projects.