Artemis II astronauts receive nation's highest space honor for their successful moonshot
Summary
The Artemis II astronauts who flew around the moon in April received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor from President Donald Trump. The ceremony also included the announcement of a new US space academy and highlighted plans for future moon and Mars missions.Key Facts
- Artemis II had three Americans and one Canadian fly around the moon, setting a new distance record.
- President Trump awarded them the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest space award.
- The ceremony took place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with NASA officials present.
- Trump announced plans for a US space academy for the space force, NASA, and commercial space companies.
- Artemis II used NASA’s new Orion capsule and the Space Launch System rocket on their mission.
- Future missions include Artemis III docking rehearsal in Earth orbit and a possible moon landing by Artemis IV near the lunar south pole by 2028.
- NASA aims to build a moon base near the lunar south pole to use frozen water for fuel and drinking water.
- NASA officials said a “second space race” has started, with China also showing interest in the lunar south pole region.
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