Trump to award nation's top space medal to Artemis II crew

President Trump intends to bestow the nation's highest space honor upon the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission, CBS News has learned. A White House official confirmed the Congressional Space Medal of Honor will be presented this Friday, August 28, at Joint Reserve Base Ellington in Houston.

The crew, comprising NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, recently completed a historic 10-day mission. They became the first humans to orbit the moon in more than half a century, splashing down safely on April 10 after a record-breaking flight.

Historically, the medal has been awarded to only 30 astronauts, including pioneers like Neil Armstrong and John Glenn. It has also been given posthumously to astronauts lost in tragic accidents, such as the Apollo 1 fire and the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters. The most recent recipients were Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken in 2020, honored for their pioneering launch on a commercial spacecraft. President Joe Biden presented them with the medal in 2023.

While named the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the award is presented by the president. Recommendations come from the NASA administrator. According to NASA, Congress has authorized the president to award the medal, in Congress's name, to any astronaut who has demonstrated exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of humanity and the nation.