United States President Donald Trump welcomed the crew of NASA’s Artemis II to the Oval Office on Wednesday to celebrate their successful mission. The team returned last month from a 10-day trip to space, marking the world’s first crewed Moon voyage in over half a century.
US astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Jeremy Hansen and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, gathered around the President’s desk as Trump praised their efforts in front of the press.
“I don’t know how they do it. I wouldn’t want to do it, but it takes people like this to make our country great,” Trump said.
“They’re very brave – and that was a whole lot-of-rocket under them,” the President joked.
In addition to praising the crew’s efforts, Trump specifically recognized Isaacman, commending him for his work at NASA. “I made a great choice,” Trump stated, referring to his personal nomination of Isaacman for his current role.
Isaacman confirmed plans to send a person to the moon’s surface again in 2028, and he provided updates on the ongoing preparations for the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027.
Additionally, he confirmed, with Trump’s agreement, that NASA headquarters will remain in Washington DC, emphasizing the benefits of being located in the nation’s capital.
The President also discussed an upcoming release of UFO files, stating, “I think we’re going to be releasing as much as we can in the near future… I think some of it is going to be very interesting to people.”
He added, “I interviewed some pilots, very solid people, and they said they saw things you wouldn’t believe.”
Morocco joins the Artemis Accords
Following the Artemis meeting in the Oval Office, Morocco announced on Thursday that it would be joining the Artemis Accords.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita signed the Accords on behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco on April 29 during a ceremony in Rabat. The signing was witnessed by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and US Ambassador to Morocco Duke Buchan III.
The accords were initially signed in October 2020. The initial signatories were Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the UAE, the UK, and the US.
Other countries, including Israel and India, have signed the accords over the past 5.5 years.
James Genn and Reuters contributed to this report.