Overview
- NASA opened applications for a new astronaut class with the filing window open through Dec. 3, 2026 and final selections expected by late 2027.
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens and meet STEM and experience standards that include a master’s degree (or specified equivalents), relevant professional experience and passing NASA’s long‑duration flight medical exam.
- The agency launched a $1 million student ‘Base Lunar’ challenge to gather designs for power, habitats, mobility, life support, communications and crew safety with entries accepted until Jan. 25, 2027.
- Press reports from the MAX POWER event say NASA awarded a base $94 million contract to Blue Origin for a nuclear‑powered PROMISE rover planned to operate 18 months at the lunar south pole in 2028, but program details are still developing.
- These moves form part of Artemis‑era plans to site a sustainable Base Lunar near the south pole, use commercial CLPS partners and nuclear surface power to work through lunar nights and prospect for ice that could enable longer human missions and future trips to Mars.