# Artemis II crew honored; U.S. Space Academy announced

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/artemis-ii-crew-congressional-space-medal-of-honor
> Updated: 2026-08-27T18:19:29.000Z. Sources: 62. Developments: 2.

President Trump has officially presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four-person Artemis II crew during a ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, received the award for their historic 10-day lunar circumlunar mission completed in April, which set a new distance record for humanity.

During the event, the President also issued an executive order to establish the U.S. Space Academy. Designed to support the U.S. Space Force, NASA, and the civilian spaceflight industry, the academy will provide training for future engineers, civil operators, and service members. The President compared the new institution to prestigious academies such as West Point, though a specific location for the facility has not been determined. To bolster American competitiveness in the space sector, particularly in response to growing rivalry with China, the academy aims to develop human capital for long-term missions to the Moon and Mars. To oversee the development of the academy, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will chair a new Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy.

Additionally, the President noted that NASA has commenced work on a nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft, which is projected to launch a mission to Mars in 2028.

## Claims

- Donald Trump awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew at NASA's Johnson Space Center. (corroborated by 20 sources)
- The Artemis II crew includes astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. (corroborated by 20 sources)
- Donald Trump signed an executive order to initiate the creation of the US Space Academy. (corroborated by 16 sources)
- The academy will serve NASA, the United States Space Force, and the non-military spaceflight sector. (corroborated by 16 sources)
- The location for the new US Space Academy has not yet been selected. (corroborated by 13 sources)
- The academy's creation is intended to bolster competition in the space sector, particularly with China. (corroborated by 7 sources)
- The nuclear-powered spacecraft is expected to launch on a mission to Mars in 2028. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- NASA has begun work on the first nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The Roman Space Telescope is expected to launch soon. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-08-27: US Space Academy: Trump signs executive order to establish new training institution

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create the US Space Academy to train NASA, Space Force, and commercial space professionals amid increasing competition with China.

54 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/artemis-ii-crew-to-receive-congressional-space-medal-of-honor-1

### 2026-08-21: Artemis II crew to receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor

President Trump will award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew in Houston on August 28, honoring their historic 10-day mission around the moon.

9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/artemis-ii-crew-to-receive-congressional-space-medal-of-honor

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Cite as: Artemis II crew honored; U.S. Space Academy announced. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/artemis-ii-crew-congressional-space-medal-of-honor