Artemis II astronauts retire from spaceflight

All four astronauts who flew on the Artemis II mission, which orbited the Moon in April 2026, have officially retired from active spaceflight. None of them has expressed plans to fly in space again, marking the end of their careers as astronauts.

Christina Koch takes on new NASA role

NASA announced on October 13, 2026, that Christina Koch, the first woman to fly over the Moon as a mission specialist, will become the deputy chief engineer of NASA on an interim basis. She will assume this role on November 1, succeeding Katherine Van Hooser, who had held the position since 2023.

Koch’s new responsibilities

In her new position, Christina Koch will support Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s chief engineer, in leading the agency’s engineers and overseeing mission preparation for programs including the return to the Moon and future Mars missions. This move marks her transition to a "management astronaut" role, where she will no longer be eligible for spaceflight assignments.

Other Artemis II crew members retire

Like Christina Koch, the other three members of the Artemis II crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen—have also retired from active spaceflight. They have all transitioned to roles such as NASA distinguished astronauts or new professional careers, while continuing to contribute to space exploration through advisory or mentorship work.

NASA prepares for future lunar missions

NASA is preparing for the next phases of its Artemis program, with Artemis III planned for 2027 and Artemis IV for 2028. These missions will focus on returning American astronauts to the lunar surface, with Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover expected to share their expertise with future crews.

Radiation concerns dismissed

Some social media users speculated that the Artemis II astronauts might have been exposed to too much radiation during their mission to fly again. Victor Glover dismissed this, stating that while he did receive radiation, it did not prevent him from flying again. He emphasized that he prefers to help others achieve space milestones rather than fly himself.

NASA’s radiation safety standards

NASA sets a career radiation limit of 600 millisieverts (mSv) for astronauts, based on recommendations from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences. The Artemis II mission, which lasted only 10 days, exposed astronauts to about 5% of this limit, indicating that radiation was not a factor in their decision to retire from spaceflight.