NASA CHAPEA crew ends 378-day simulated Mars mission

NASA said Ross Elder, Ellen Ellis, James Spicer, and Matthew Montgomery completed CHAPEA Mission 2 after spending 378 days in the Mars Dune Alpha habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The four research volunteers stepped out of the habitat on Oct. 31.

The crew entered the roughly 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat on Oct. 19, 2025. During the yearlong simulation, they completed simulated Marswalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise, and crop cultivation. The crew remotely operated a drone and a rover to survey terrain and identify or collect rock samples.

Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche said the crew’s work will help prepare for the challenges of human exploration beyond Earth. The research will support crew health and performance, future Moon missions, and eventual missions to Mars. NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway said the crew required physiological and psychological strength, teamwork, and discipline.

Researchers and ground teams supported the crew as it navigated limited resources and communication delays of up to 22 minutes each way. Ellis served as medical officer, Spicer worked as flight engineer, Montgomery served as science officer, and Elder led the crew. The group collected health and performance data throughout the mission.

Two weeks of post-mission evaluations and debriefs will help researchers interpret the crew’s data and experiences. Grace Douglas, CHAPEA’s principal investigator, said the research will help NASA assess human health and performance risks against resources such as crew time, communication capacity, food, and water system designs.

The study builds on the first CHAPEA mission, which concluded July 6, 2024. Sara Whiting, CHAPEA project scientist, said the data will inform plans for how astronauts live and work at the Moon Base near the Moon’s South Pole. NASA is planning the Moon Base as humanity’s first lunar outpost.