NASA's CHAPEA Mission 2 crew has spent 365 days living and working in isolation inside a simulated Mars habitat at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA reported on Oct. 19, 2026. The four members entered the 1,700 square foot 3D-printed habitat on Oct. 19, 2025, for a 378-day mission.

The crew includes Ross Elder as mission commander, Ellen Ellis as medical officer, Matthew Montgomery as science officer and James Spicer as flight engineer. NASA said they have grown crops, managed limited resources, navigated communication delays and conducted suited extravehicular activities on a simulated Martian surface.

Under the plan reported at the one-year mark, the crew is scheduled to exit the habitat on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, to conclude the mission. They will then begin two weeks of post-mission evaluations and debriefs. NASA says data from the mission could inform medical and psychological support for long-duration missions, including communication delays of up to 45 minutes each way, and help translate lessons to a future Moon Base.