The crew of the historic Artemis II lunar flyby mission has been awarded the US's top space medal, officials have announced. Cmdr Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are scheduled to receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on August 28, according to the US space agency Nasa.
During their 10-day mission, which began on April 1, the Artemis II crew broke Apollo 13’s record for the farthest distance travelled from Earth. They reached 252,756 miles (406,771km) as they flew above the lunar surface, surpassing the 1970 record of 248,655 miles.
Nasa's website indicates that only 30 astronauts have previously received this honour, including Neil Armstrong and John Glenn. The medal ceremony for Wiseman and his colleagues will take place at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, with a video live stream available on Nasa's website.