NASA astronaut applications for lunar Artemis program, Digi Mart USA News (United States): NASA has launched a call for a new generation of astronauts as it searches for explorers who could live and work on the Moon. Opening applications for the latest expansion of its Artemis program, the U.S.
space agency said successful candidates would help “shape humanity’s future in space” as it builds a base on the Moon and plans the first crewed missions to Mars.
The announcement was made Saturday during a Kennedy Space Center air show promoting lunar exploration as well as advances in aviation and technology. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, “This is an extraordinary time to join NASA’s astronaut corps.” He added that the people selected “could walk on the Moon, live and work at the Moon Base, and help pioneer the systems and operations that will ultimately carry crews to Mars.”
NASA expects to make its final selection in late 2027 and begin training the next class of astronaut candidates. The agency last opened applications for new astronauts in 2024, accepting 10 new astronauts out of more than 8,000 applicants in September 2025.
Scott Tingle, chief astronaut and chair of the Astronaut Selection Board at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said becoming a NASA astronaut is “more than a career opportunity.” He described it as “a chance to join a legacy of explorers who have pushed the boundaries of discovery and play a role in the missions that will shape humanity’s future in space.”
Since the 1960s, NASA has selected 370 people to train as astronaut candidates for increasingly challenging missions. The agency currently has 32 astronauts active in the astronaut corps.
Isaacman and other agency leaders recently laid out NASA’s ambitions to return Americans to the Moon in 2028. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin intend to support a crewed lunar landing.
All applicants must be U.S. citizens and must have one of the following: a master’s degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics; medical qualifications; training as a pilot; or two years of work on a relevant doctoral program.
Applicants must also have three years of “related professional experience.”
Applying pilots must have either 750 hours of pilot-in-command time in a high-performance jet, 1,500 total flight hours in another fixed-wing aircraft, or 1,000 total flight hours in a rotary-wing aircraft.
Applicants have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 3, to submit their applications.
