On a November day at Kennedy Space Center, NASA opened the door to a new generation of explorers, inviting applications for its 25th astronaut class, a lineage reaching back to the Mercury Seven of 1959. The agency is reaching outward again, aiming to carry human presence beyond low-Earth orbit and onto the lunar surface by 2028, and it is seeking hands to match that ambition. Applicants have until December 3, with final choices expected by late 2027, so the call is as much a question of patience as of courage.
NASA Opens Applications for New Astronaut Class to Expand Artemis Lunar Campaign
"We have far more work than we have astronauts."
Mark
Why is NASA recruiting again so soon? The last class only finished in September 2025.
Mimi
The numbers explain it. Only 32 active astronauts, and Randy Bresnik says there's far more work than people. The lunar campaign is growing faster than the roster.
Luke
Worth noting that's Bresnik's characterization. The source gives us the headcount of 32, but not how many seats NASA actually needs to fill or how big this class will be.
Mark
Right, no class size is given. What about the timeline?
Mimi
Applications close December 3, selection by late 2027, training by early 2028. That's the same year NASA aims to land astronauts on the moon.
Luke
And that's a target, not a guarantee. Also, these new recruits won't be those landing crews. Training takes two years, then possibly several more before a flight.
Mark
So what are they signing up for?
Mimi
Frank Rubio put it plainly: going to the moon is maybe 1% of the experience. Most of the job is contributing to the mission.
Luke
That 1% is his rough figure, not a statistic. But the point stands that patience is the real requirement, along with US citizenship, a degree and work experience.
Mark
And next summer's Artemis III flight?
Mimi
A docking rehearsal with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers, staying near Earth, ahead of Artemis IV's attempt near the south pole.
Il Polso
- NASA has only 32 active astronauts while its lunar ambitions keep growing, and the gap is pressing hard on the agency.
- Applications close on December 3, leaving a short window for would-be candidates to answer a call two years in the making.
- Artemis III's crew will rehearse docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers next summer, testing the path toward a south pole landing.
- Selection is not due until late 2027 and training until 2028, so the crew who reach the moon will arrive long after this announcement.
On a November day at Kennedy Space Center, NASA opened the door to a new generation of explorers, inviting applications for its 25th astronaut class, a lineage reaching back to the Mercury Seven of 1959. The agency is reaching outward again, aiming to carry human presence beyond low-Earth orbit and onto the lunar surface by 2028, and it is seeking hands to match that ambition. Applicants have until December 3, with final choices expected by late 2027, so the call is as much a question of patience as of courage.
At an air show at Kennedy Space Center, NASA officials announced that the agency is hunting for new astronauts. Applications are open now and close on December 3, two years after the last call drew more than 8,000 hopefuls and produced just 10 selections in September 2025. With only 32 active astronauts, the agency says it simply cannot keep pace with the work ahead as it pushes human presence beyond low-Earth orbit.
The lunar campaign is already moving. Artemis II flew around the moon in April, and next summer the Artemis III crew, led by Randy Bresnik, will rehearse docking with lunar landers built by SpaceX and Blue Origin. That mission is a dress rehearsal for Artemis IV, which aims to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole the following year. The longer vision is a permanent base, built piece by piece as rovers, robots, structures and power grids reach the surface.
For those who apply, the road is long. Candidates must be US citizens with college degrees and professional experience, and final selection is expected by late 2027, with two years of demanding training to follow. Frank Rubio, whose 371 consecutive days in space set an American endurance record, offered a sober reminder: the moon itself is a sliver of the job, and most of the work is the patient labor of getting there.
On November 7, at an air show at Kennedy Space Centre meant to promote lunar exploration and advances in aviation and technology, NASA officials announced that the agency is looking for new astronauts. Applications are open now and close on December 3.
The call comes two years after the last one. That round drew more than 8,000 applicants, and 10 of them made the final cut in September 2025. Even so, NASA has only 32 active astronauts, and the agency says it needs more as it tries to expand human presence beyond low-Earth orbit as quickly as it can. The lunar campaign got under way in April, when the Artemis II crew flew around the moon.
"We have far more work than we have astronauts," Randy Bresnik, commander of Artemis III, told The Associated Press on Saturday. The timeline is long. NASA expects to choose its final candidates by late 2027, and they would begin training by early 2028, the same year the agency intends to put astronauts back on the lunar surface after more than half a century. Bresnik had a message for anyone weighing whether to apply: by then, he said, there will be people on the moon, so don't delay.
Bresnik and his three crewmates launch next summer. Their mission stays close to Earth, with no lunar flyby. They will practice docking their capsule with two lunar landers, one built by Elon Musk's SpaceX and the other by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. It serves as a dress rehearsal for Artemis IV the following year, which will attempt to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole.
The longer goal is a permanent base. According to the reporting, it would take shape gradually as more rovers, robots, structures and power grids are launched to the surface.
Becoming an astronaut demands patience, said Frank Rubio, another Artemis III crew member, whose 371 consecutive days in space are a US endurance record. Candidates must be US citizens with college degrees and professional work experience. They then face two years of mandatory training that can be gruelling, and it may be several more years before they actually fly.
Rubio cautioned applicants about what the job really involves. Most of the work, he told the AP, is not going to the moon. That part, he said, will be about 1% of the experience, and the rest is contributing to the mission of getting there.
This will be NASA's 25th astronaut class, a lineage that stretches back to the original Mercury Seven in 1959. The deadline is December 3, the selection is due by late 2027, and training should start in early 2028.
Citazioni salienti
We have far more work than we have astronauts.— Randy Bresnik, Artemis III commander, to The Associated Press
Going to the moon will be about 1% of your experience; the rest is contributing to that mission.— Frank Rubio, Artemis III astronaut, to The Associated Press (paraphrased)
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