President Donald Trump awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II astronauts while outlining the administration's vision for the future of space.
The awards were given Friday to NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen during a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center on Friday.
"These four explorers traveled farther from Earth than any human beings in history and embody the pioneering spirit that has made America the world's preeminent spacefaring nation. Their contributions bring us closer to returning Americans to the lunar surface ahead of China, establishing a sustained presence on the moon, and ultimately reaching Mars," said Rep. Brian Babin, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
The astronauts took part in a 10-day mission around the moon in April, becoming the first to travel beyond the moon in more than 50 years and to travel as far into space as they did, according to NASA.
Trump called them "four intrepid space heroes" and "fearless explorers that are very smart," lauding their flight of more than 250,000 miles from Earth.
"It was absolutely flawless," Trump said of the mission.
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During his second term in office, Trump has sought to apply his America First approach to space.
"A nation cannot be first on Earth if we're second in space," Trump said.
Trump has set out an agenda of returning Americans to the moon by the end of his term and establishing a permanent American settlement on the moon. Trump compared space travel to ocean exploration. Additionally, the Trump administration is seeking nuclear power in space and paving the way for travel to Mars.
“We’re going for all humanity,” Wiseman said.
During the ceremony, flanked by a mock spacecraft the astronauts trained in and a glass-encased moon rock, Trump signed an executive order he said will create an academy for the Space Force, comparing it to other military branch academies.
NASA is also expected to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope this weekend.
After Friday's ceremony, Trump also spoke with astronauts on board the International Space Station. The astronauts said they are getting prepared for a spacewalk in the coming days.
“We have some tremendous plans ahead," Trump told the astronauts.
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Days before the ceremony, Trump signed a national security memorandum aimed at “reinvigorating America’s leadership in space transportation and enabling more than 1,000 launches and reentries on American soil annually by 2030.”
According to the White House, the directive seeks to encourage public-private partnerships, speed permitting and environmental reviews, expand launch and reentry sites, support commercial transportation to the moon and explore sending humans to Mars.
