NASA is accepting applications for a new astronaut class to staff its Artemis moon program. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, and applications close December 3.
Officials announced the recruitment at an air show at Kennedy Space Center in Florida that promoted lunar exploration. The group will be NASA’s 25th astronaut class since the original Mercury Seven in 1959.
Eligibility is the key requirement. Candidates must be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional work experience. The Artemis program is the U.S. effort to return astronauts to the moon and build a permanent lunar base.
NASA has 32 active astronauts and needs more as it works to expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit. Since the 1960s, the agency has selected 370 people to train as astronaut candidates. NASA’s last call came two years ago. More than 8,000 people applied, and 10 were chosen in September 2025.
“We have far more work than we have astronauts,” said Randy Bresnik, commander of NASA’s Artemis III mission.
NASA expects to make its final selection by late 2027, with new candidates starting training by early 2028. That is the same year the agency intends to return astronauts to the lunar surface after more than half a century. Two years of mandatory training come first, and it can take several more years after that before a new astronaut flies.
Frank Rubio, an Artemis III mission specialist whose 371 consecutive days in space is a U.S. record, said that most of an astronaut’s work does not involve traveling to the moon. He put lunar travel at about 1% of the experience and said the rest is contributing to the mission.
“This is an extraordinary time to join NASA’s astronaut corps,” said Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator.
The Artemis II crew flew around the moon in April, which started the agency’s lunar campaign. Bresnik and three crewmates are scheduled to launch next summer on Artemis III to practice docking their capsule with two lunar landers, one built by SpaceX and the other by Blue Origin. That mission will not fly to the moon. It is a rehearsal for Artemis IV the following year, which aims to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole.
Applications close December 3. NASA expects to announce its final selection by late 2027.
