Washington DC: US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) congratulated the crew of the Artemis II mission, praising them for inspiring the world and setting a new milestone in human spaceflight.
Speaking to the astronauts after the mission broke the record for the farthest distance traveled by humans from Earth, Trump said the achievement marked a historic moment and a decisive step toward America’s return to the Moon.
“Today you have made history and made all America incredibly proud,” Trump said, commending the crew’s accomplishment.
The Artemis II astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — surpassed the previous distance record of 248,655 miles set during the Apollo 13 mission more than five decades ago.
Highlighting the scale of the achievement, Trump noted that the crew traveled over a quarter of a million miles aboard what he described as the most powerful rocket ever launched by NASA.
“Humans have never really seen anything quite like what you’re doing in a manned spacecraft. It’s really special. You’ve inspired the entire world,” he said.
The president also underscored the broader ambitions of the U.S. space program, stating that Artemis II is laying the groundwork for sustained lunar exploration and future missions beyond.
“We’ll plant our flag once again, and this time we won’t just leave footprints. We’ll establish a permanent presence on the Moon, and we’ll push on to Mars,” Trump said, outlining a vision for long-term human presence beyond Earth.
The Artemis II mission is a critical step in NASA’s strategy to return astronauts to the lunar surface and advance deep space exploration, including eventual missions to Mars.
