NASA opens applications for 25th astronaut class to support Artemis lunar program

Centre · 2NASA is accepting applications for a new astronaut class to help grow the Artemis program, officials announced on Saturday 7 November during a Kennedy Space Center air show promoting lunar exploration and advances in aviation and technology. 1 2 Centre · 2Applicants have until Dec. 3 to apply. NASA expects to make its final selection by late 2027, with the new candidates starting training by early 2028, the same year the agency intends to return astronauts to the lunar surface after more than half a century. 1 2 Left · 1NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said, "This is an extraordinary time to join Nasa's astronaut corps," adding that those selected "could walk on the Moon, live and work at the Moon Base, and help pioneer the systems and operations that will ultimately carry crews to Mars." 3

Centre · 2NASA's last call for astronauts was two years ago. More than 8,000 people applied and 10 were chosen in September 2025. The agency has only 32 active astronauts and wants more recruits as it looks to expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit as quickly as possible. This will be its 25th astronaut class since the Mercury Seven in 1959. 2 1 Centre · 2Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik said, "We have far more work than we have astronauts," and urged candidates not to delay because by the time the new class trains, "we're going to have people on the moon." 1 2 Centre · 2Candidates must be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional work experience. The two years of mandatory training can be grueling, and it could take several more years before a first spaceflight. 1 2

Left · 1NASA's requirements, as reported by the Guardian, are a master's degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, medical qualifications, pilot training, or two years on a relevant doctoral program, plus three years of related professional experience. Pilots need 750 hours as pilot-in-command of a high-performance jet, 1,500 total hours in another fixed-wing aircraft, or 1,000 hours in a rotary-wing aircraft. The deadline is 11.59pm ET on Thursday 3 December. 3 Mixed · 3The advertised salary is $164,395 a year, according to the Daily Mail, Hindustan Times and CBS News; CBS says the portal lists "few vacancies" and requires recruits to relocate to Houston and work at Johnson Space Center, while Hindustan Times says the figure could change in 2027 or 2028. 4 5 6 Left · 1CBS News lists further requirements: vision correctable to 20/20, a background check and drug screening, a swimming test, and willingness to deploy to space for 12 months or longer. Test pilot school must be completed by July 2027, and NASA says medical residencies count toward the experience requirement. 4

Mixed · 2Hindustan Times states a pilot threshold of at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command jet time and says NASA has no fixed age limit; the Daily Mail and CBS News give 750 hours as pilot-in-command of a high-performance jet. 5 6 Mixed · 2ABC News ran a video item saying NASA had released a recruitment video as it works toward a permanent moon base and possibly, someday, sending humans to Mars. The Daily Mail drew on reaction to NASA's post on X, where users joked about applying without qualifications. 7 6 Left · 1Scott Tingle, chief astronaut and chair of the Astronaut Selection Board at Johnson Space Center, called becoming an astronaut "a chance to join a legacy of explorers" and said NASA has selected 370 people as astronaut candidates since the 1960s. 3

Centre · 2Artemis III's Frank Rubio, whose 371 consecutive days in space is a U.S. record, stressed patience. He said most of an astronaut's work is not going to the moon, which he put at about 1% of the experience, but contributing to that mission. 1 2 Centre · 2April's lunar flyaround by the Artemis II crew kicked off the lunar campaign. Bresnik and his three crewmates will launch next summer to practice docking their capsule with two lunar landers, one built by SpaceX and one by Blue Origin. That mission will stay near Earth, with no lunar flyby, and will be a dress rehearsal for the following year's Artemis IV mission, which will try to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole. 2 1