The four volunteers on NASA's second Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog mission were scheduled to leave a simulated Mars habitat in Houston on Oct. 31 after 378 days, Engadget reported¹.

NASA planned to livestream the exit on YouTube and its social accounts starting at 3 p.m. Eastern¹. The CHAPEA Mission 2 crew — Ross Elder, Matthew Montgomery, Ellen Ellis and James Spicer — entered the habitat on Oct. 19, 2025¹.

They lived in a 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot facility on NASA Johnson Space Center grounds in Houston, Texas¹. Engadget said the crew had to use an airlock to leave the habitat, and that they carried out simulated spacewalks, habitat maintenance and plant-growing work while inside¹.

In addition to isolation, the analog imposed communication delays and resource limitations meant to resemble stressors future crews could face on Mars or the moon¹. The program is an Earth-based stand-in for long-duration mission operations rather than a flight¹.

Engadget said NASA began looking for CHAPEA volunteers in 2023 and that the first crew entered the habitat in June that year¹. The second crew's exit therefore closes the analog's second year-long run¹.

The agency has already started accepting applications for a Moon and Mars Exploration Analog that combines elements of CHAPEA with other NASA space-simulation experiences¹. That follow-on mission is scheduled to begin no earlier than August 2027¹.

Engadget's account did not include crew comments or published science results from Mission 2¹.

Sources

1. EngadgetNASA's second year-long Mars simulation mission ends today12:07 PM

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