NASA has opened applications for a new class of astronauts — the people who will help build a permanent base on the Moon and lay the groundwork for the first crewed missions to Mars.
Key Points
- NASA astronaut applications 2026 — NASA opened the application window on Saturday, 7 November, at an air show at the Kennedy Space Center.
- US citizens have until 11:59pm EST on Thursday, 3 December 2026 to apply.
- Final selections are expected in late 2027, with training to begin in early 2028.
- The new class will support the Artemis programme; the agency’s corps of 32 active astronauts is stretched thin.
The announcement, made during an air show at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is the first time NASA has sought new astronaut recruits in two years. The last open call, in 2024, drew more than 8,000 applications. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the new astronauts will join “as America returns to the Moon, builds the Moon Base, and lays the groundwork for the first crewed missions to Mars.”
The need is pressing. NASA’s corps has only 32 active astronauts, and Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told the Associated Press on Saturday that the current workload far exceeds the number of available crew members. This will be NASA’s 25th astronaut class since the original Mercury Seven were announced in 1959.
Who can apply
The requirements remain rigorous. Applicants must be US citizens with a master’s degree in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field from an accredited institution, and at least three years of related professional experience after completing the qualifying degree. NASA’s selection FAQ explicitly says that neither military service nor flying experience is necessary.
Application review is scheduled from December through April 2027, with initial interviews and assessments at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Test Pilot School and medical residency must be finished by July 2027 for those routes to qualify. Those selected will then face about two years of basic training — covering spacewalks, robotics, spacecraft systems and survival skills — before they can be assigned to a mission. NASA has selected 370 people as astronaut candidates since the 1960s, and the agency describes the new class as supporting Artemis and future exploration, though selection is not a guarantee of a particular mission or destination.
What happens next
NASA expects to announce its next candidate class in late 2027, with recruits reporting to Johnson Space Center in winter 2027–28. The agency has not announced the size of the new class, and its timetable is labelled tentative. Selection is not a guarantee of a particular mission or destination — but for the first time in two years, the door to the astronaut corps is open.
For background on NASA’s lunar plans, see our report on NASA developing batteries to power humanity’s return to the Moon, and on NASA seeking flight directors and lunar crop research. More in our Technology section.
Sources: NASAWatch, “NASA Astronaut Applications Open for Next Class, Due Dec. 3“; The American Quorum (Associated Press), “NASA Opens Astronaut Recruitment for Next Phase of Lunar Exploration“.