Overview
- NASA announced the call for applicants at the Kennedy Space Center Max Power air show on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, and said the class will train for lunar surface work and low‑Earth orbit duties.
- Prospective applicants have until Dec. 3, 2026, to apply through USAJobs, and NASA expects to finish selection in late 2027 with training starting in early 2028.
- To qualify, candidates must be U.S. citizens with a master’s degree in a STEM field or an approved equivalent, meet experience or pilot‑hour thresholds, and pass NASA’s long‑duration astronaut flight physical.
- Agency leaders stressed urgency because NASA has about 32 active astronauts and needs more crew to staff Artemis missions, station operations, and planned Moon Base activities.
- This will be NASA’s 25th astronaut class since 1959 following the 2025 class of ten, and the agency said commercial partners such as SpaceX and Blue Origin will remain central to future crewed flights.