The Artemis II astronauts marked a historic milestone, this Monday, April 7: they reached lunar orbit and surpassed the record of Apollo 13 (1970) as the crew furthest from Earth. Faced with the risky mission of flying over the pure satellite, an essential question arises on social networks: How much money do these NASA workers earn?
You will be surprised to know that The annual salary of astronauts, specifically those of Artemis II, is not as “astronomical” as you might think. According to the ‘Minuto de Astronomía’ Instagram account, which cites official NASA data in 2026, Annual salaries range from $100,000 to $160,000 per year.
Read also: Without showers, without privacy and under pressure: this is what it’s like to live inside Orion, the Artemis capsule
At NASA there are ranges that determine salaries
The money received by astronauts, including those on Artemis II, It depends on their rank on the General Schedule (GS) scale, as well as their experience.. Likewise, and despite the historical magnitude of the mission, They do not receive extra payment for traveling to the Moon.
As the portal explains Radio Aktivathe range within this scale does not occur at random either. For example, Those with master’s or doctoral degrees typically enter at the GS-11 or GS-12 levels, considered entry-level ranks.
As they gain experience and participate in missions, they are promoted to GS-13 or GS-14where the majority of the active body is concentrated. For its part, The GS-15 level, where the Artemis II astronauts must be, is reserved for profiles with outstanding careers or strategic leadership roles..
However, it is clear that, even in historical missions, An astronaut’s compensation depends on the US federal system and career path, not the destination or the risk of the trip.. Simply put: they are doing their job.
Another ingredient that affects salary has to do with location. The Johnson Space Center, located in Houston, Texas, and serving as the astronaut corps rotten major, offers salaries that include cost of living adjustments in this region. The same thing happens in Pasadena and Mountain Look, both in California.
Breakdown of annual salaries, by experience and type of position, according to Stages FYI data:
- Entry level (1–3 years): $66,000 – $92,000
- Intermediate level (4–6 years): $78,000 – $123,000
- Senior level (10–15+ years): $118,000 – $137,000
- Instrument engineer: $140,000
- Mechanical engineer: $139,000
- Hardware engineer: $137,000
Who are the astronauts who traveled on the Artemis II mission
The crew, the most diverse to travel to the Moon, is made up of: Reid Wiseman, Christina Kochwho today became the first woman to reach the satellite, and Victor Gloverthe first black man to achieve it, along with the Canadian Jeremy Hansenthe first foreign astronaut on a NASA lunar mission.
The arrival on the Moon occurs when the ship goes from being dominated by the Earth’s gravity to being attracted more strongly by that of the natural satellite, NASA explained.
In addition to surpassing the record of Apollo 13, Artemis II marked another historical milestone: fly over the dark side of the Moon.
Likewise, face a loss of communications for about 40 minutes on the dark side of the Moon and reach the closest point to it as well as the maximum distance from Earth, in this case about 406,760 kilometers (252,760 miles).
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· What is Atenea like and what will it do, the microsatellite developed by Argentina that participates in the Artemis II mission
