Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, members of the Artemis II mission, They have become popular on social networks as they mark the return of humanity to lunar orbit. With this, doubts have arisen about how much they would earn for this mission in space.
The four astronauts marked various milestones during their mission by setting a new record: they traveled 406,771 kilometers from Earth, the greatest distance reached by humans. Likewise, the crew explored the far side of the Moon and witnessed an eclipse.
As part of the mission, astronaut Christina Koch became the first woman to travel that distance. The mission, which took the crew into space for 10 days to conduct exploration in lunar orbit and tests that will help develop missions such as Artemis III, will return to Earth on April 10.
The mission, which marked the return of a crew to lunar orbit since 1972, has provided a new perspective on the natural satellite and is part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) program that seeks to take humanity to the lunar surface and settle there.
Despite the milestones achieved by the astronaut team, made up of Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Víctor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen, NASA would not have contemplated an extra bonus for the mission, according to ABC en Español.
Media like Forbes They point out that, although it may be surprising, the Artemis II astronauts are public employees of NASA, so their salary is established like that of other agency workers. They do not have additional bonuses or incentives per mission.
“This is a relay race.”
Mission specialist Christina Koch describes how the Artemis II astronauts have not only been focused on their mission — but on all future Artemis missions, which will build on their lessons learned and successes. pic.twitter.com/lXTOCk9Onv
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 9, 2026
National Post highlights that the salary remains the same, regardless of whether the NASA employee is on Earth or in space. Data from ABC indicate that astronauts would be earning approximately US$150,000 a year (Q1,147,041.45, depending on the exchange rate), an amount that corresponds to the salary in the United States.
In the case of Canadian Jeremy Hansen, his salary could be between 110 thousand and 120 thousand euros annually (from Q985,600 to Q1,075,200), according to ABC.
That’s the end of my takeover of the Artemis accounts!! Thanks for flying along with me. In the words of my bestie Victor Glover, we love you from the Moon!!!! 🫶 Rise out!! pic.twitter.com/XsVkUkK51B
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 9, 2026
