Overview
- NASA announced the recruitment on Monday and will accept applications through December 3, 2026, after posting a short recruitment video on X.
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens with a STEM master’s degree or equivalent and at least three years of professional experience or 750 flight hours, plus pass a fitness exam and show strong leadership, teamwork and communication skills.
- The agency promoted the call with a video titled “The Universe is Calling” that casts recruits as potential Moon walkers and Moon‑base crew who would help develop systems needed for future Mars missions.
- By way of context, NASA received about 8,000 applicants in its 2024 selection that produced ten candidates now in roughly two years of training, while the agency’s peak applicant year was 2016 with more than 18,000; historically NASA has selected about 370 astronauts with roughly 30 currently active.
- Non‑U.S. citizens are directed toward the European Space Agency for application options, and selected U.S. candidates will enter a multi‑year training pipeline that will decide who lives and works on Moon bases and helps prepare operations for Mars.