Houston, August 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
US President Donald Trump will confer the Congressional Space Medal of Honour on the four astronauts of NASA’s historic Artemis II mission, recognising their landmark journey around the Moon.
NASA said the honour will be presented to Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen at a White House-led ceremony on August 28 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is also expected to attend.
The four-member crew completed a 10-day mission aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, returning to Earth on April 10. Artemis II was the first crewed Orion flight and marked the first time humans had travelled around the Moon in more than five decades. The astronauts also travelled farther from Earth than any humans before them.
Wiseman commanded the mission, Glover served as pilot, while Koch and Hansen were mission specialists. Glover became the first Black astronaut to take part in a lunar mission, while Koch became the first woman assigned to a mission around the Moon.
The Congressional Space Medal of Honour is among the highest US recognitions for astronauts. Authorised by Congress, it is awarded by the President for exceptionally meritorious achievements and contributions to human spaceflight.
Hansen’s participation marked Canada’s first involvement in a crewed lunar mission and made him the first Canadian to travel beyond low-Earth orbit.
Artemis II tested Orion’s life-support, navigation, communications and other systems with astronauts aboard, building on the uncrewed Artemis I mission. NASA considers the Artemis programme a foundation for sustained human activity on and around the Moon and preparation for future missions to Mars.
The programme includes international and commercial partners. India joined the Artemis Accords in 2023, while NASA and ISRO have expanded cooperation in space science, astronaut training and Earth observation. Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s visit to the International Space Station has further highlighted prospects for India-US cooperation in human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit.
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