Ryland Grace’s original crew did not survive the mission. In Project Hail Mary , the first three crew members were meant to handle the Hail Mary together, but two died before launch and the remaining crew members later succumbed during the mission.

What happened

  • The original Hail Mary team was supposed to be three people: Commander Yáo Li-Jie, engineer Olesya Ilyukhina, and scientist Martin DuBois.
  • DuBois and his backup were killed in an explosion at Baikonur before launch, which is why Grace was forced into the mission instead.
  • After launch, the crew in Grace’s memories are shown to have died off during the long journey, while Grace becomes the sole human survivor on the ship.

Why they died

The story points to the extreme conditions of the mission rather than one single dramatic accident. The novel summary and related explanations indicate that the crew was placed in coma for years, and the combination of long- duration space travel, radiation exposure, and mission hazards led to their deaths.

Short version

If you mean the human crew aboard Hail Mary , the answer is: they died, leaving Ryland Grace alone. If you want, I can also explain the fate of Rocky’s crew or give a spoiler-free version.