On a Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, amid an air show celebrating flight and exploration, NASA opened its call for a new class of astronauts to carry forward the Artemis effort to return people to the moon and build a lasting presence there. The timing carries weight: applications close December 3, and the chosen candidates will begin training in 2028, the very year humanity hopes to set foot on the lunar surface again after more than fifty years away. It is a reminder that every great horizon is reached by people who chose, years before the arrival, to prepare for it.
NASA Opens Applications for New Astronaut Class to Expand Artemis Lunar Program
On a Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, amid an air show celebrating flight and exploration, NASA opened its call for a new class of astronauts to carry forward the Artemis effort to return people to the moon and build a lasting presence there. The timing carries weight: applications close December 3, and the chosen candidates will begin training in 2028, the very year humanity hopes to set foot on the lunar surface again after more than fifty years away. It is a reminder that every great horizon is reached by people who chose, years before the arrival, to prepare for it.
On Saturday, at an air show at Kennedy Space Center that blended lunar ambition with aviation and technology, NASA announced it is recruiting a new class of astronauts. The agency wants them to help grow the Artemis program, which aims to return people to the moon and eventually build a permanent base there.
The last call drew more than 8,000 applicants, and ten were selected in September 2025. This time, hopefuls have until December 3 to apply. Final candidates are expected by late 2027, with training beginning in early 2028, the same year NASA hopes to land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time in over half a century. With only 32 active astronauts, the agency needs more hands.
Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told the Associated Press there is far more work than people to do it, and he urged candidates not to wait. His crew launches next summer on a mission that stays near Earth, rehearsing docking with lunar landers built by SpaceX and Blue Origin. That flight sets the stage for Artemis IV, which will attempt a south pole landing the following year.
The path is demanding: U.S. citizenship, college degrees, professional experience, and two years of grueling training, with spaceflight often years away. Frank Rubio, who holds the American endurance record at 371 consecutive days in orbit, counseled patience. Most of the job, he noted, is not the moon itself. That moment is roughly one percent of the work; the rest is the groundwork that makes it possible.
On Saturday, at an air show at Kennedy Space Center meant to promote lunar exploration along with advances in aviation and technology, NASA announced that it is looking for new astronauts. The agency is accepting applications for a class that will help grow the Artemis program, the effort to return people to the moon and eventually build a permanent base there.
The last call for applicants came two years ago. More than 8,000 people applied, and 10 made the final cut in September 2025. This time, aspiring astronauts have until Dec. 3 to submit their applications. NASA expects to choose its final candidates by late 2027, and those candidates would begin training by early 2028.
That timing matters because 2028 is also the year NASA intends to put astronauts back on the lunar surface, after more than half a century away. The agency currently has only 32 active astronauts, and it wants to extend humanity's presence beyond low-Earth orbit as fast as it can. The campaign began in April, when the Artemis II crew flew around the moon.
Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik put the staffing problem plainly in comments to The Associated Press on Saturday: there is far more work than there are astronauts. He urged would-be candidates not to wait, noting that by the time the new class is training, people will be on the moon.
Bresnik and his three crewmates are due to launch next summer. Their mission will stay close to Earth, with no lunar flyby. They will practice docking their capsule with a pair of lunar landers, one built by Elon Musk's SpaceX and the other by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. The flight is a dress rehearsal for Artemis IV the following year, which will attempt to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole. The moon base itself is expected to take shape gradually, as more rovers, robots, structures and power grids are launched.
The requirements are demanding. Candidates must be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional work experience. Selected candidates face two years of mandatory training, which can be grueling, and it may be several more years before they actually fly into space. Frank Rubio of the Artemis III crew, who holds the U.S. endurance record with 371 consecutive days in space, said patience is essential.
Rubio also tried to set expectations about the job. Most of the work, he told the AP, is not going to the moon. That part, he said, will be about 1% of an astronaut's experience, and the rest is contributing to the mission of getting there.
This will be NASA's 25th astronaut class since the original Mercury Seven in 1959. Applications close Dec. 3, and the selections expected in late 2027 will show who joins the effort as the first Artemis landing approaches.
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