NASA opens astronaut applications for first Artemis recruitment since 2024

NASA opened astronaut applications on Nov. 7, 2026, at a Kennedy Space Center air show. It was the first recruitment drive since 2024, intended to expand the corps supporting the Artemis programme.

The application window closes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026. NASA expects to make its final selection in late 2027, and newly selected candidates are to begin training by early 2028. The selection timeline follows the December 3 application deadline and precedes the start of training for the new class.

NASA currently lists 32 active astronauts, and the agency says it has far more work than available astronauts as it expands to support Artemis missions beyond low-Earth orbit. The last recruitment window drew more than 8,000 applicants, and NASA chose 10 candidates in September 2025. NASA’s 2024 class, known as “The Platypi,” is training at Johnson Space Center, and its members will join the active astronauts for spacecraft development, maintenance, spacewalks, research and Mission Control support when training ends. This will be the agency’s 25th astronaut class, tracing back to the Mercury Seven of 1959.

To apply, a person must be a U.S. citizen with a master’s degree in a STEM subject from an accredited institution. Other qualifying paths include two years of doctoral study, medical training, or Test Pilot School. They also need three or more years of related professional experience after earning a qualifying degree, and pilots can use specified flight hours to meet part of that requirement. Applicants must pass a medical examination and finish NASA’s long-duration spaceflight astronaut physical, and the agency imposes no fixed age limit provided applicants meet education, experience and medical standards.

Pilot applicants must meet separate flight standards on top of the general professional experience requirement. NASA Watch and BGNES point to 750 hours as pilot in command of a high-performance jet. Hindustan Times reports that pilot applicants need at least 1,000 hours as pilot in command of a jet. NASA’s qualifications also reference 1,500 total flight hours for certain pilot applicants, while BGNES lists 1,500 hours of total time flying fixed-wing aircraft or 1,000 hours on rotorcraft as alternatives.

Applicants must submit five references rather than letters of recommendation, plus all STEM-related academic transcripts and a pilot qualifications form when applicable. Candidates can track their applications online through the U.S. government’s official job portal. NASA sets the annual astronaut salary at $164,395, but the figure could change in 2027 or 2028.

Saturday’s announcement included a “NASA wants you” recruitment video featuring seven NASA astronauts: Jessica Meir, Andre Douglas, Deniz Burnham, Randy Bresnik, Kayla Barron, Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams, and the video accompanied the opening of applications for the next astronaut batch. Training for the new astronaut class will take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Selected astronauts will train to operate on the lunar surface, to live and work beyond Earth, and to support Artemis missions toward a Moon Base and future crewed flights to Mars. Scott Tingle, chief astronaut, chairs the Astronaut Selection Board at Johnson Space Center.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called this an extraordinary time to join the NASA astronaut corps. “Those missions will demand technical excellence, sound judgment, teamwork, and courage.” — Jared Isaacman He said selected people could walk on the Moon, live and work at a lunar base, and help pioneer systems for Mars crews.

In April, the Artemis II crew completed a lunar flyby that kicked off the lunar campaign. Randy Bresnik and three crewmates plan to launch next summer to practice docking with lunar landers built by SpaceX and Blue Origin, a rehearsal for Artemis IV. The rehearsal flight will remain near Earth and will not include a lunar flyby. Artemis IV is set to attempt landing two astronauts near the lunar south pole in the year after the docking rehearsal flight, and the Moon Base will take shape as more rovers, robots, structures and power grids are launched.

NASA has selected eight companies, including Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, to compete for delivery missions that support lunar operations. NASA made the announcement alongside new awards and mission updates on Saturday. The agency will move forward with developing a nuclear-powered, six-wheeled rover to survey lunar land, assess resources, identify landing sites and support future infrastructure. The rover will support exploration activities as part of the Moon Base plans.

Frank Rubio, an Artemis III astronaut who holds the U.S. endurance record of 371 consecutive days in space, said patience is essential because two years of mandatory training can be grueling and may be followed by several more years before spaceflight. Rubio told the Associated Press that going to the moon makes up roughly 1 percent of an astronaut’s experience, and he said candidates contribute to the lunar mission through other work. Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told potential candidates not to delay, saying people will be on the moon. Bresnik made those remarks to The Associated Press on Saturday during the Kennedy Space Center air show.