NASA began accepting applications Saturday, Nov. 7, for a new astronaut class that will help grow the Artemis lunar program, The Associated Press reported. Officials announced the opening at a Kennedy Space Center air show. Applications close Dec. 3, according to NASA’s selection timeline.
Related: NASA Picks 8 Companies for $10 Billion Lunar Deliveries.
The timeline
NASA published this schedule and said it could be extended or accelerated based on the number of applicants:
- December 2026 to April 2027: Application review
- Spring 2027: Initial interviews at Johnson Space Center
- Summer 2027: Final interviews and selection assessments
- Fall 2027: Class of 2027 announced
- Winter 2027/2028: New class reports to Johnson Space Center
Why NASA is hiring
NASA has 32 active astronauts, AP reported. “We have far more work than we have astronauts,” Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told AP.
The last call was two years ago. More than 8,000 people applied, and 10 were chosen in September 2025, AP reported.
The Artemis II crew flew around the moon in April, AP reported. Bresnik and his three crewmates are scheduled to launch next summer and practice docking with lunar landers built by SpaceX and Blue Origin. That mission will stay close to Earth.
Artemis IV, planned for the following year, is to attempt landing two astronauts near the lunar south pole, AP reported. New candidates would begin training by early 2028.
By then, “we’re going to have people on the moon — so don’t delay,” Bresnik said.
What applicants need
Candidates must be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional work experience, AP reported. Those selected face two years of mandatory training.
Frank Rubio, an Artemis III crew member who holds the U.S. record of 371 consecutive days in space, said most of the job is not going to the moon. “That will be about 1% of your experience,” Rubio told AP.
This will be NASA’s 25th astronaut class since the Mercury Seven in 1959, AP reported.
More coverage is in our science section and technology section.
Sources
- The Associated Press via WSLS: Want to fly to the moon? NASA is looking for new astronauts to help grow its Artemis program
- NASA: Astronaut selection timeline
Read next in Technology
TechnologyNASA Picks 8 Companies for $10 Billion Lunar Delivery Contract and Backs a Nuclear Moon Rover
TechnologyWhich Side of an Asteroid a Nuclear Burst Hits Could Change Its Deflection Nearly Fivefold, Sandia Study Finds
TechnologyGas Rising Above Fresh Fissures on Mars’ Alba Mons Suggests Magma May Still Be Active, Study Finds
Most read this week
- Abdul El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood Claims: What’s Confirmed and What Isn’t
- Stock Futures Erase a 2.4% Overnight Drop as Markets Digest Democrats’ Sweep of Congress
- Spain Transport Minister Óscar Puente Quits 26 Days Before Election Over Crash That Killed 69
- Boston Plans to Close 3 Schools in 2028 as Enrollment Drops as Much as 58%
- GM Korea’s Sales Jump 26.6% on Chevrolet Exports as Hyundai Slips 6.3% and Korean Factory Growth Cools
Latest
- UN Gaza Funding Timeline: A $4 Billion Appeal, Then Food Cuts, Then New Pleas for Cash
- Taiwan Detains Small Communist Party’s Chief Over Alleged Chinese Funding Before Nov. 28 Elections
- France Says Europeans Will Join U.S.-Mediated Ukraine Talks in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10–11
- Russian Strikes Cut Power to About 850,000 in Ukraine as Zaporizhzhia Plant Loses Outside Supply
- Heavy Rain Floods Tents Across Gaza as Aid Groups Warn of Worsening Conditions