NASA Opens Applications for a New Astronaut Class

NASA astronaut applications are now open for a new class of astronauts, seeking the next generation of explorers to support its Artemis programme and future missions to the Moon and Mars. The agency announced the call on Saturday, November 7, 2026, during the MAX POWER air show at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aspiring astronauts have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, December 3, 2026, to submit their applications. NASA expects to make its final selection in late 2027, with the new candidates beginning training in early 2028, the same year the agency intends to return astronauts to the lunar surface. This will be NASA’s 25th astronaut class since the original Mercury Seven were announced in 1959.

NASA says it needs more astronauts because its current corps has only 32 active members, while the pace of lunar work is accelerating. The April 2026 lunar flyaround by the Artemis II crew kicked off the current programme, and Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik and his three crewmates are due to fly next summer to practise docking their capsule with a pair of lunar landers. Applicants must be United States citizens and hold a master’s degree in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field, such as engineering, biological science, physical science or computer science, from an accredited institution. The new candidates will train to operate on the lunar surface, live and work beyond Earth and take on missions near the Moon’s south pole.

NASA astronaut applications and the Artemis programme

The NASA astronaut applications call is aimed at people who will help carry the Artemis programme back to the Moon and, in time, prepare the first crewed missions to Mars. The last call for new astronauts was two years ago, when more than 8,000 people applied and 10 made the final cut in September 2025. The new candidates will complete two years of mandatory training, followed by further mission-specific preparation, so they are unlikely to be eligible for a flight assignment before around 2030. The first lunar landing of the Artemis programme, planned for 2028, will be flown by astronauts already in the corps. Even so, the new class matters for the long term, because the Moon missions now being planned will need a larger, younger group of astronauts ready to fly in the years that follow.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine