The president said a location would be selected \u201cvery shortly,\u201d joking that lawmakers in attendance were already interested in where it would be built.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody wants it because it\u2019s the hot thing,\u201d Trump said. \u201cSpace is the hot thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump also recognized several prominent Texas Republicans in attendance, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz<\/a>, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick<\/a>, and Comptroller Don Huffines<\/a>.<\/p>\n The announcement came as Trump traveled to Houston to award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the four members of the Artemis II crew: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.<\/p>\n Only 30 astronauts had previously received the honor, with Trump noting past recipients including Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, and Alan Shepard.<\/p>\n The Artemis II crew launched from Kennedy Space Center in April, traveling around the Moon before returning to Earth. Trump said the astronauts traveled more than 250,000 miles from Earth, farther than any humans before them.<\/p>\n Trump also recalled watching the Artemis II mission while he was in the middle of an important meeting.<\/p>\n According to Trump, someone asked if he wanted to watch the mission, prompting a television to be brought in as those gathered became \u201cspellbound.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe watched every minute of it,\u201d Trump said. \u201cIn fact, the meeting was a disaster because after that was over, they were so excited, nobody did anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo it was a total waste of time,\u201d he joked. \u201cBut what can I tell you? It really brought spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also laid out an ambitious vision for the next stage of the American space program, pledging that astronauts would return to the lunar surface before the end of his term.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we do, they\u2019ll plant this very important flag to mark the site of the first permanent American settlement on the moon,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Artemis III is expected to launch next year, followed by Artemis IV in 2028, which he said would bring American astronauts back to the lunar surface.<\/p>\n \u201cThis time, we are going back to stay,\u201d Isaacman said.<\/p>\n Isaacman also said NASA plans to launch robotic landers and rovers as it works toward establishing a permanent presence on the Moon.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/brandon-writer-150x150.jpg\")
<\/p>\n