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Trump Presents the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II Crew, Aug. 28, 2026

August 28, 2026 · The White House · 0:46:46

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

President Donald Trump traveled to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on August 28, 2026, to present the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four astronauts of Artemis II, the crewed mission that flew around the far side of the Moon. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman opened the ceremony by laying out the program ahead: Artemis III launches next year, “and what we learn from that mission will enable the grand return in 2028 when Artemis IV brings American astronauts back to the surface of the moon,” alongside robotic landers, rovers, and a permanent lunar base — “this time, we are going back to stay.”

The President used the ceremony for a second announcement: “today I have another historic announcement to make… in a few moments I will sign an executive order to begin the process of creating a new national academy. It’s called the U.S. Space Academy.” The academy, he said, would train members for the Space Force, NASA, and the civilian space industry at the standard of West Point and Annapolis — “it’s got to be top line” — with a location to be chosen shortly. He also said NASA has begun work on a nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft to launch in 2028 on a mission to Mars. The Artemis II crew accepted the medals on behalf of their families, the NASA team, and the international partners, with pilot Victor Glover presenting the President a NASA flight jacket bearing the Artemis II and 45/47 patches.

Why it matters

Space is a defense and national-prestige file this chronicle tracks through the Space Force and NASA, and this ceremony carried two durable commitments: a medal record for the Artemis II crew and a signed-order promise of a new service academy. Economic Director Kevin Hassett and Science Advisor Michael Kratsios were among the officials Isaacman thanked in the room.

Scoreboard watch

This is a candidate item for the weekly scoreboard: the announced executive order creating the U.S. Space Academy. What the scoreboard will follow is the order itself, the academy’s chosen location, and the Artemis III/IV schedule stated at the ceremony (Artemis III next year; a crewed lunar return on Artemis IV in 2028).

Sources: The White House, “President Trump Participates in the Congressional Space Medal of Honor Presentation,” August 28, 2026, Houston, TX (official upload, embedded above; the upload’s description places the event in Houston). Remarks as delivered at the ceremony.