Uploaded on February 19, 2026
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Lunar capcoms: the vital link between the Orion spacecraft and Earth
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons explains her role as a capsule communicator, or capcom, for the Artemis II mission. The first Canadian certified in this role, she describes how capcoms are the primary link between Mission Control and the spacecraft, working in shifts to provide the crew with critical guidance during their mission to the Moon. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA)
I’m Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons, and I’m here in a viewing gallery above the white flight control room at NASA Johnson Space Center. Now I want to give you a little insight today into what one of my roles will be during the Artemis II mission, and that is of a capcom.
Capcom is short for Capsule Communicator, and they essentially act as the prime link between the personnel and expertise in Mission Control and the spacecraft during the mission.
I’m a certified International Space Station capcom, and Artemis II capcom, and I will be working as a capcom through various phases of the mission.
My role is to synthesize the information of the flight control team in Mission Control and send calls to the crew that’s on that capsule.
So there will be multiple capcoms, and they’ll be working for three shifts a day in order to give the crew aboard the Orion spacecraft what they need in order to stay safe and execute the mission.
So you have to have very good systems knowledge, and you have to be tough, you have to be competent. And you have to really nail concise communication so the crew knows exactly what to do and limit the back-and-forth or inefficiencies in those calls.
Training to be a lunar capcom has been excellent. It’s prepared me to be a better crewmember and a better support person for Artemis II, and I can’t wait to see Jeremy and my other colleagues fly around the Moon on Artemis II.
I’ll be here supporting them, talking to them, and hopefully sharing it with all of you.