Overview
- Applications are open now on USAJOBS and must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 3, 2026, with NASA planning to name the new class in late 2027 and begin training in early 2028.
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens and meet strict routes to qualify, typically a STEM master’s or equivalent medical, doctoral or test‑pilot credentials plus relevant experience or specific flight‑hour thresholds for pilots.
- The job posting lists an estimated 2026 federal salary of $164,395 a year, but that figure is tied to the federal pay schedule and is not a guaranteed bonus or hazard pay amount.
- Selected candidates will face roughly two years of intensive training in spacewalking, robotics and spacecraft operations, must relocate to Johnson Space Center in Houston, and should expect long deployments and significant isolation on deep‑space missions.
- NASA’s active corps is small (about 32 people) and past selection rounds drew thousands of applicants for only a few slots, so the hiring push is meant to increase personnel capacity for a heavier Artemis flight cadence and future lunar base work.