HOUSTON — President Donald Trump is in Houston today to honor the four astronauts of NASA’s historic Artemis II mission during a ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Trump is scheduled to present the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew at 10 a.m. Central Time.
The astronauts being honored are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The crew completed a historic 10-day journey around the Moon earlier this year, becoming the first humans to travel beyond low Earth orbit in more than five decades.
A Historic Journey Around the Moon
Artemis II was the first crewed mission of NASA’s new Orion spacecraft and a critical test of the systems needed for future human missions to the Moon.
During their journey, the astronauts traveled approximately 695,000 miles from Earth, setting a new human-distance record and surpassing the previous record established during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.
The mission also marked several historic achievements.
Christina Koch became the first woman to travel on a crewed lunar mission, Victor Glover became the first person of color to travel to the Moon’s vicinity, and Jeremy Hansen became the first Canadian to travel to the Moon’s vicinity.
One of the Highest Honors
The Congressional Space Medal of Honor is one of the highest honors awarded to American astronauts.
The award recognizes extraordinary achievements in human space exploration and has previously been presented to some of the most celebrated astronauts in history.
For the Artemis II crew, today’s ceremony adds another historic milestone to a mission that has already become a major chapter in modern space exploration.
Houston Takes Center Stage
The ceremony has special significance for Houston.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center has been at the heart of America’s human-spaceflight program for decades. It is home to NASA’s astronaut corps and remains deeply involved in astronaut training, mission operations and America’s crewed spaceflight efforts.
With President Trump visiting the center and honoring astronauts who recently traveled around the Moon, Houston is once again at the center of the nation’s space program.
The presidential visit is also bringing increased security around the Houston area.
Temporary airspace restrictions have been established around southeast Houston because of the visit, affecting certain aviation and drone operations.
Residents traveling near Johnson Space Center should expect increased security activity and possible traffic delays.
What Comes Next?
Artemis II is only one part of NASA’s broader Artemis program.
The long-term goal is to return humans to the Moon, establish a sustained presence in lunar space and develop the technology and experience needed for future deep-space exploration.
NASA also views the Moon as an important stepping stone toward eventual human missions to Mars.
Today’s ceremony therefore represents more than a presidential appearance or an award.
It celebrates a mission that has helped open the door to the next era of human space exploration.
Houston — Space City Once Again
For generations, Houston has been closely connected to America’s journey into space.
From the Apollo missions to the Space Shuttle program and now Artemis, Johnson Space Center has remained an important part of the country’s human-spaceflight history.
Today, as the Artemis II astronauts receive one of the nation’s highest honors, Houston once again finds itself in the spotlight.
For Space City, the next chapter of human exploration is already underway.
