Overview
- NASA opened applications on Saturday, Nov. 7, for a new astronaut candidate class with a deadline of Dec. 3, 2026 and expects to finish selection in late 2027.
- Selected candidates will begin multi‑year training in early 2028 to support Artemis lunar missions, lunar surface operations, Moon Base build‑out, and work on current and future orbiting stations.
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens with a STEM master’s degree or an accepted alternative, at least three years of related professional experience or specified pilot flight hours, and pass NASA’s long‑duration astronaut flight physical.
- The agency says the hiring is urgent because it has about 32 active astronauts while Artemis and commercial station plans will need many more crew members; NASA’s last call in 2024 drew more than 8,000 applicants and produced 10 candidates in 2025.
- This recruitment will form NASA’s 25th astronaut class since 1959, and chosen candidates should expect two years of intense training followed by additional mission‑specific preparation and long waits before flight assignments.