[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4909 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4909
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Artemis II Congressional Gold Medal
Act''.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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.
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