Overview
- The 24th class was selected from more than 8,000 applicants and introduced at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
- The group spans test pilots, engineers, a geologist, and a physician, with backgrounds across the military, NASA, and the private sector.
- Anna Menon, a 2024 Polaris Dawn crew member, is the first NASA astronaut candidate with prior orbital experience.
- After two years of basic training, the candidates will join the active corps and become eligible for missions to low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and eventually Mars.
- NASA’s shrinking workforce and plans to retire the ISS in the early 2030s could influence how many near-term flight slots are available for the new class.