Trump has spoken directly with the astronauts of Artemis II after their historic flyby of the Moon, congratulating the crew on a mission that has pushed human spaceflight farther than ever before.
During a live call to the Orion spacecraft, the president praised the team for making history and described the mission as something "really special," highlighting the unprecedented views captured from the Moon's far side.
The crew (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen) recently set a new record for the greatest distance traveled from Earth by humans, surpassing the benchmark set during Apollo 13.
The conversation included moments of praise and a brief communication hiccup, with Trump later inviting the astronauts to the White House upon their return.
The milestone comes as NASA continues its Artemis programme, aimed at returning humans to the Moon and eventually sending crews to Mars.
However, the moment of celebration contrasts with ongoing debate in Washington over proposed budget cuts that could significantly reduce NASA's funding in the coming years.
