NASA Opens Recruitment for New Moon‑to‑Mars Astronaut Class

Overview

• NASA publicly opened applications for a new U.S.‑citizen astronaut class on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, with submissions due by Dec. 3 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
• The agency says selected candidates will be announced at the end of 2027 and will begin training afterward to support Artemis‑era lunar base construction and operations.
• Minimum qualifications include U.S. citizenship, a STEM master’s degree or accepted equivalents, at least three years of relevant professional experience, and flight‑hour thresholds for pilot applicants.
• Training will focus on lunar surface activities such as spacewalks and geology, high‑performance flight, and long‑duration mission procedures to prepare crews to live and work off Earth.
• This call continues NASA’s multi‑year Artemis pipeline after a 2024 intake that drew over 8,000 applicants and produced ten candidates now nearing two years of training, showing steady expansion of the astronaut corps for Moon and Mars plans.