Trump hails Artemis II astronauts as 'modern-day' pioneers while calling crew during historic Moon mission

The US president hailed crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen as  “modern-day pioneers”as he radioed in after they looped around the celestial body.

"Today you’ve made history and made all of America really proud. Incredibly proud," he told the astronauts. 

Mr Trump added: "America will be second to none in space and everything else that we’re doing, and we will continue to lead the whole thing, into the stars.

He said that further Moon missions are yet to come, adding that there will eventually be "the whole big trip to Mars.”

"Your mission paves the way for America's return to the lunar surface very soon," Mr Trump said.

Read more: First photo from far side of the moon released - as Artemis II heads home

Read more: Artemis II begins journey home after reaching record distance from Earth

The Artemis II crew is heading back to Earth on the Orion spacecraft after successfully completing a ground-breaking Moon mission on Monday, achieving a record maximum distance of 252,756 miles away from Earth. 

The record was achieved during a seven-hour lunar flyby, which included a 40-minute communication blackout as they passed around the far side of the Moon from Earth.

The previous record was set by Apollo 13 in 1970. As they broke the record, Mission Control told the astronauts: "Integrity crew: On 15 April, 1970, during the Apollo 13 mission, three explorers set the record for the farthest distance humans have ever travelled from our home planet.

"At that time, over 55 years ago, Lovell, Swigert, and Haise flew 248,655 statute miles away from Earth.

"Today, for all humanity, you're pushing beyond that frontier."

On Tuesday, NASA released photos of the far side of the moon taken by the Artemis II crew.

Sharing the first picture on X, the White House wrote: "Humanity, from the other side. First photo from the far side of the Moon. Captured from Orion as Earth dips beyond the lunar horizon."

Nasa said: "At this distance, the Moon will appear to the astronauts about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length. "They also may be the first humans to see some parts of the Moon’s far side with the unaided eye."

As part of their mission, the crew of Artemis II have touchingly proposed naming a crater after Commander Reid Wiseman's late wife, Carroll.

A second feature on the lunar landscape was named Integrity, which was the crew's name for the Orion spacecraft carrying them on their historic mission.