This legislative proposal seeks to honor the crew of the Artemis II mission by awarding them Congressional Gold Medals. The bill recognizes their extraordinary contributions to human space exploration, including setting a new record for the longest human distance from Earth and being the first crewed mission to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon in 53 years. The findings section highlights numerous significant achievements of the mission and its crew. These include taking the first real-time, high-definition lunar imagery from human-worn devices and capturing rare images of the Moon's far side. Individual crew members, such as Victor Glover and Christina Koch, are noted for being the first person of color and the first woman, respectively, to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon. Furthermore, the mission marked the inaugural piloted flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft on the Space Launch System and confirmed its critical systems in deep-space conditions. It also laid crucial groundwork for future lunar landings and potential missions to Mars. The bill mandates the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike the gold medals, which will depict the four astronauts, and authorizes the sale of bronze duplicates to the public.
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Science, Technology, Communications
Artemis II Congressional Gold Medal Act
USA119th CongressHR-9417| House
| Updated: 6/24/2026
This legislative proposal seeks to honor the crew of the Artemis II mission by awarding them Congressional Gold Medals. The bill recognizes their extraordinary contributions to human space exploration, including setting a new record for the longest human distance from Earth and being the first crewed mission to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon in 53 years. The findings section highlights numerous significant achievements of the mission and its crew. These include taking the first real-time, high-definition lunar imagery from human-worn devices and capturing rare images of the Moon's far side. Individual crew members, such as Victor Glover and Christina Koch, are noted for being the first person of color and the first woman, respectively, to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon. Furthermore, the mission marked the inaugural piloted flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft on the Space Launch System and confirmed its critical systems in deep-space conditions. It also laid crucial groundwork for future lunar landings and potential missions to Mars. The bill mandates the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike the gold medals, which will depict the four astronauts, and authorizes the sale of bronze duplicates to the public.