There Artemis II missionlaunched in early April and returning to Earth after a few days, was the first to return humans near the Moon since the end of NASA’s Apollo program in the 1970s. This mission allowed us to test the life support systems of the Orion capsule and prepare for the moon landing with Artemis IV (previously it was Artemis III, but the latter was reconsidered as a low-Earth orbit mission).
Despite some problems encountered on board (such as those with the organic waste management system), the Artemis II mission it was a success. The astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander, NASA), Victor Glover (pilot, NASA), Christina Koch (mission specialist, NASA) e Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist, CSA) returned safely and, after checks routinethey also visited several countries, including Italy, to talk about their experience.
At present though all astronauts from the Artemis II mission Yes are retired from active service. They therefore remain astronauts but will no longer take part in space missions. This choice has raised some doubts and generated curiosity as well as some indiscretions.
The Artemis II astronauts have retired from active duty
As reported Wiseman he is now a consultant and trainer sharing his experience also in view of future missions of the program, starting with Artemis III. The precise plans are not publicly known but details could emerge in the coming weeks.
Glover he is now executive advisor to the president of California Polytechnic State University. A full-time role which started on 1 September 2026. This is the ability to define partnershipsworks of philanthropy, engineering, projects related to aerospace, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. He can also be a reference for students in STEM courses and will give his support for future Artemis missions.
Koch instead it will become deputy acting chief engineer of NASA starting November 1, 2026 to replace Katherine Van Hooser (who will retire in the same period). The astronaut will have technical oversight for all future NASA programs, including those to the Moon and Mars.
In the end Hansen announced that he has retired from the CSA astronaut corps (effective September). He will have a role as an ambassador for issues related to space and as a reservist. He is currently still looking for full-time employment but no particular decisions have been announced.
The coincidence that all four astronauts who participated in the Artemis II mission have retired from active service has given rise to several speculations about social. You can read about it in a post about X “It is my belief that these 4 received a serious dose of radiation during their mission which precludes them from flying again. It would explain why all four resigned or were permanently removed from flight status”. The answer is directly Victor Glover which he stated “high dose, yes. Preclude flying again, no. I could walk on the Moon, but I’d rather help someone else do it. This is my truth, I don’t speak for anyone else”.
In general, it must be considered that three astronauts are already 50 years old and one is 47. The next missions would almost certainly have been assigned to new crews and therefore the possibility of finding these names again would come later in time (after 2030). Although there are even older active astronauts, for example Donald (Don) Pettit (71 years old), Michael Barratt (67 years old), Stephen Bowen (62 years old) and Randy Bresnik himself (59 years old) who will take part in Artemis III in LEO, it is not actually “strange” that astronauts who are no longer very young and whose ability to fly is becoming limited can leave active service to dedicate themselves to other tasks.
