Artemis II Congressional Gold Medal Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9417 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9417

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to each of the crew of the Artemis
   II, in recognition of advancing human exploration of space to new
                                heights.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2026

Mr. Bacon (for himself, Mr. Whitesides, Mr. Evans of Colorado, and Mr.
    Ivey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                    Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to each of the crew of the Artemis
   II, in recognition of advancing human exploration of space to new
                                heights.

    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.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Artemis II crew set a new record distance for human
        spaceflight at 252,756 miles (406,771 km) from Earth, setting
        the record for longest human distance from Earth.
            (2) The Artemis II was the first crewed mission to travel
        beyond low Earth orbit and around the Moon in 53 years, since
        the Apollo 17 Mission in December 1972.
            (3) The Artemis II mission took the first real-time, high-
        definition lunar imagery from human-worn digital devices ever
        taken mid-mission, including of Earth, a solar eclipse, and the
        lunar surface.
            (4) The Artemis II mission took the first crewed lunar
        imagery in 53 years, including rare images of the Moon's far
        side from close range.
            (5) Reid Wiseman was the first commander of an Artemis
        mission. He restored human exploration around the Moon. He is a
        naval aviator who has now spent 175 days in space between
        Artemis II and as a flight engineer aboard the International
        Space Station for 165 days in 2014, during which time he
        completed two spacewalks during 13 hours and helped conduct
        more than 300 scientific experiments. He also served as Chief
        of NASA's Astronaut Office. He is the most experienced
        astronaut to command a crewed lunar mission.
            (6) Victor Glover was the pilot of the Artemis II. This was
        his second time piloting a new spacecraft on an operational
        mission following his role in 2018 as pilot for SpaceX Crew-1
        aboard the Dragon Resilience. He is also a naval aviator and
        test pilot who has now spent 178 days in space during his two
        missions. He has completed four spacewalks during his 168 days
        aboard the International Space Station. He is also the first
        person of color and first Black astronaut to travel beyond low
        Earth orbit and around the Moon.
            (7) Christina Koch was the mission specialist of the
        Artemis II. She holds the record for the single longest
        spaceflight by a woman (328 days) and participated in the first
        all-female spacewalk while aboard the International Space
        Station. She was the first woman to travel beyond low Earth
        orbit and around the Moon.
            (8) Jeremy Hansen was the mission specialist of the Artemis
        II. He represented the Canadian Space Agency and was the first
        Canadian and non-U.S. astronaut to travel beyond low Earth
        orbit and around the Moon.
            (9) Charlie Blackwell-Thompson was the launch director of
        the Artemis II Mission. She is the first woman to serve as a
        NASA launch director and was the first female launch director
        for a crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit and around the
        Moon.
            (10) Artemis II was the first crewed launch of NASA's Orion
        spacecraft on the Space Launch System (SLS), marking the
        inaugural piloted flight of this deep-space system.
            (11) Artemis II was the first ship-to-ship voice call
        between a lunar mission and the International Space Station
        (ISS), marking milestone inter-orbital communication.
            (12) Artemis II was the first mission to confirm Orion's
        life support, navigation, propulsion (including translunar
        injection burns), and reentry systems in deep-space conditions.
            (13) Artemis II laid the groundwork for future lunar
        landings and missions to Mars, in partnership with United
        States industry.
            (14) As the first human mission to the Moon in this
        millennium, the mission also included many other notable
        firsts, including the following:
                    (A) Jacki Mahaffey served as the first female chief
                training officer for a crewed mission beyond low Earth
                orbit and to the Moon, and one of the female capsule
                communicators, a first for a crewed mission beyond low
                Earth orbit and to 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) Amy Dill served as the flight controller and
                one of the female capsule communicators, a first for a
                mission beyond low Earth orbit and to the Moon.
                    (D) Lili Villarreal served as the first female
                landing and recovery director for a crewed mission
                beyond low Earth orbit and to the Moon.
                    (E) Kelsey Young, Angela Garcia, and Trevor Graff,
                served as the first science officers in Mission Control
                Center 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 the
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to each of the crew of
the Artemis II, in recognition of advancing human exploration of space
to new heights.
    (b) Design and Striking.--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.
Each gold medal shall depict the crew of four astronauts.

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 this Act shall be deposited into the
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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