S. 4909

119 S4909 IS: Artemis II Congressional Gold Medal Act
 U.S. Senate
 2026-06-24
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 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 4909  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   June 24, 2026   Mr. Kelly  (for himself,  Mr. Ricketts ,  Mr. Moran ,  Mr. Van Hollen ,  Ms. Duckworth ,  Mrs. Fischer , and  Mr. Sheehy ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs    A BILL
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to each of the crew members of the Artemis II Mission in recognition of their contributions in advancing the human exploration of space to new heights, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Artemis II Congressional Gold Medal Act  .
2.
Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
The crew members of the Artemis II Mission traveled approximately 252,756 miles, or 406,771 kilometers, from Earth, representing the farthest that humans have ever traveled from Earth.
(2)
The Artemis II Mission—
(A)
was the first crewed mission to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon since the Apollo 17 Mission in December 1972;
(B)
resulted in the first ever real-time, high-definition lunar images taken from human-worn digital devices, including of Earth, a solar eclipse, and the lunar surface, which—
(i)
were taken mid-mission;
(ii)
were the first lunar images taken by crew members in 53 years; and
(iii)
included rare images of the Moon’s far side from close range;
(C)
represented the first crewed launch of the Orion spacecraft of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this section as  NASA ) on the Space Launch System, marking the inaugural piloted flight of this deep-space system;
(D)
marked the first ship-to-ship voice call between a lunar mission and the International Space Station, representing milestone interorbital communication;
(E)
confirmed the viability of Orion’s life support, navigation, propulsion, and reentry systems, including through the use of translunar injection burns, in deep-space conditions; and
(F)
laid the groundwork for future lunar landings and missions to Mars, in partnership with United States industry.
(3)
Reid Wiseman—
(A)
served as the commander of the Artemis II Mission, which resumed human exploration around the Moon;
(B)
is a naval aviator who has now spent 175 days in space—
(i)
as part of the Artemis II Mission; and
(ii)
as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station for 165 days in 2014, during which he—
(I)
spent 13 hours completing 2 spacewalks; and
(II)
helped conduct more than 300 scientific experiments;
(C)
previously served as chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office; and
(D)
is the most experienced astronaut to command a crewed lunar mission.
(4)
Victor Glover—
(A)
served as the pilot for the Artemis II Mission, which was his second time piloting a new spacecraft on an operational mission after having served, in 2018, as the pilot for the SpaceX Crew-1 aboard the Dragon Resilience;
(B)
is a naval aviator and test pilot who has now spent 178 days in space across 2 missions;
(C)
completed 4 spacewalks during his 168 days aboard the International Space Station; and
(D)
is the first person of color, and the first Black astronaut, to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon.
(5)
Christina Koch—
(A)
served as a mission specialist for the Artemis II Mission;
(B)
holds the record for the single longest spaceflight by a woman at 328 days;
(C)
participated in the first all-female spacewalk while aboard the International Space Station; and
(D)
was the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon.
(6)
Jeremy Hansen, a mission specialist for the Artemis II Mission, representing the Canadian Space Agency, was the first Canadian, and the first astronaut from outside the United States, to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon.
(7)
As the first human mission around the Moon in this millennium, the Artemis II Mission was notable for many other firsts, including the following:
(A)
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the launch director of the Artemis II Mission, was the first woman to serve as a NASA launch director and the first female launch director for a crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon.
(B)
Andre Douglas, a NASA astronaut, and Jenni Gibbons, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut, were the first individuals to serve as backup crew members for an Artemis mission beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon.
(C)
Jacki Mahaffey was the first female chief training officer for a crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon.
(D)
Amy Dill, a flight controller for the Artemis II Mission, served as the first female capsule communicator for a crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon.
(E)
Lili Villarreal served as the first female landing and recovery director for a crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon.
(F)
Kelsey Young, Angela Garcia, and Trevor Graff were the first science officers to serve at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston.
3.
Congressional gold medals
(a)
Presentation authorized
The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to each of the crew members of the Artemis II Mission, in recognition of their contributions in advancing the human exploration of space to new heights.
(b)
Design and striking
(1)
In general
For purposes of the presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the  Secretary ) shall strike gold medals with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
(2)
Requirement
Each gold medal struck under paragraph (1) shall depict the 4-astronaut crew of the Artemis II Mission.
4.
Duplicate medals
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medals struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
5.
Status of medals
(a)
National medals
The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of  chapter 51  of title 31, United States Code.
(b)
Numismatic items
For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
6.
Authority to use fund amounts; proceeds of sale
(a)
Authority To use fund amounts
There is authorized to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant to this Act.
(b)
Proceeds of sale
Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.