Sen. Moran, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Award the Artemis II Crew with Congressional Gold Medal

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) - chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science - recently joined Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-02) in introducing legislation to award the Artemis II crew with the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their historic mission around the Moon in April. The legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), as well as Reps. George Whitesides (D-CA-27), Gabe Evans (R-CO-08) and Glenn Ivey (D-MD-04).

"Earlier this year, Artemis II made history and showed the world that our greatest days of discovery are still ahead," said Sen. Moran. "As we celebrate the mission's success, we honor the Artemis II crew - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen - alongside the NASA workforce whose contributions helped set new records in space exploration. America's leadership in space would not be possible without the innovation, courage and dedication of the men and women who made this mission possible."

"Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy carried human space exploration farther than it has ever gone before," said Sen. Kelly. "I've flown on four missions to space and I know how hard that crew and the teams on the ground worked. They made something incredibly complex and difficult look easy. They reminded Americans what we're capable of when we work together. They inspired the next generation of scientists, explorers, and engineers. For pushing the boundaries of human achievement, the Artemis II crew deserves this honor."

From Apollo to Artemis, America's pioneering spirit has long defined our leadership in space exploration," said Rep. Bacon. "Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen carried that legacy farther than any humans have ever traveled from Earth, setting a new record of approximately 252,756 miles and marking the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon in 53 years. The Artemis II Congressional Gold Medal Act is a bipartisan, bicameral effort to honor this historic mission with the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow. I am grateful to our friends at Space for Humanity for bringing this idea to us, and to Sen. Kelly and our co-leads for working together to recognize these extraordinary astronauts."

As chairman of the subcommittee that funds NASA, Sen. Moran hosted the Artemis II crew and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on Capitol Hill in May to meet with members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, along with Claire Ludes, Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer of the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, to honor the historic Artemis II mission and discuss efforts to bolster America's leadership in space exploration. A recap video can be found here.

Commander Wiseman, Sen. Moran and Claire Ludes, Cosmosphere SVP & Chief Development Officer, in Washington, D.C., on May 12, 2026.

Background information:

• The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor awarded by Congress.
  
  
• The last astronauts to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal were the Apollo 11 Crew in 2009. No other NASA mission crew has received this recognition, which has been reserved for missions of extraordinary historic significance.

Full text of the resolution can be found HERE.

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