On a Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, under the noise of an air show meant to celebrate flight and ambition, NASA opened the door to a new generation of astronauts. The call is a quiet admission that the agency's reach has outgrown its roster, with only 32 active astronauts to carry a lunar program that aims to put people back on the moon and, eventually, to build a home there. Humanity has been away from that surface for more than half a century, and this recruitment is one more step in a long patience that the work itself demands. Applications close December 3, and the choices made in the y
NASA Opens Applications for New Astronaut Class to Expand Artemis Lunar Program
"We have far more work than we have astronauts."
Mark
Why is NASA recruiting now, when it only picked a class in September 2025?
Mimi
Because the workload outpaces the roster. There are only 32 active astronauts, and Randy Bresnik said there's far more work than people to do it.
Mark
What's the timing look like for someone who applies?
Mimi
Applications close Dec. 3, selection comes by late 2027, and training starts by early 2028. That's the same year NASA wants astronauts back on the surface.
Luke
Does that mean this class will walk on the moon?
Mimi
Not necessarily. The source says training takes two mandatory years, and flight could come several years after that.
Luke
So the 2028 landing is likely to be crewed by people already selected.
Mimi
That's an inference, and a reasonable one, but the article doesn't say who will fly the landing.
Mark
What did Rubio want applicants to understand?
Mimi
That the moon itself is about 1% of the experience. Most of the work is supporting the mission.
Luke
Worth noting the 8,000-applicant figure is from the last round. There's no estimate yet for this one, and no stated class size.
Mimi
Right, and the article doesn't say how many will be chosen this time.
Mark
And Artemis III isn't going to the moon?
Mimi
No. It stays near Earth to practice docking with the SpaceX and Blue Origin landers, ahead of Artemis IV's attempted landing.
Il Polso
- Only 32 active astronauts remain to serve a lunar program that is accelerating faster than the staff available to fly it.
- NASA is racing against a 2028 target to return astronauts to the lunar surface, leaving little slack in the calendar.
- Applications close December 3, with final selection not expected until late 2027 and training starting in early 2028.
- Artemis III will rehearse docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers next summer, a dress rehearsal for Artemis IV's planned south pole landing.
On a Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, under the noise of an air show meant to celebrate flight and ambition, NASA opened the door to a new generation of astronauts. The call is a quiet admission that the agency's reach has outgrown its roster, with only 32 active astronauts to carry a lunar program that aims to put people back on the moon and, eventually, to build a home there. Humanity has been away from that surface for more than half a century, and this recruitment is one more step in a long patience that the work itself demands. Applications close December 3, and the choices made in the years after will decide who stands beside the first crews to return.
On Saturday, at an air show at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA announced it is taking applications for a new class of astronauts. The event was meant to promote lunar exploration alongside advances in aviation and technology, but the recruitment call was the news that came out of it. The agency wants people to help grow the Artemis program and, eventually, help build a permanent base on the moon.
The last call came two years ago, drawing more than 8,000 applicants, and 10 were selected in September 2025. Yet NASA still has only 32 active astronauts, and it is pushing to extend humanity's presence beyond low-Earth orbit as quickly as it can. Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told the Associated Press that the agency has far more work than it has astronauts.
Applicants have until Dec. 3. Final selection is expected by late 2027, with training beginning in early 2028, the year NASA plans to land astronauts on the lunar surface again. Bresnik warned candidates not to delay, since people will be on the moon by then.
Bresnik and three crewmates launch next summer on a mission that stays near Earth and rehearses docking with two lunar landers, one from SpaceX and one from Blue Origin. Frank Rubio, who holds the U.S. endurance record at 371 consecutive days in space, stressed that patience is part of the job. He said only about 1% of an astronaut's experience is actually going to the moon; the rest is contributing to getting there.
On Saturday, at an air show at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA announced that it is taking applications for a new class of astronauts. The event was meant to promote lunar exploration along with advances in aviation and technology, and the recruitment call was the news carried out of it. The agency wants people to help grow the Artemis program and, eventually, to help build a permanent base on the moon.
The last call for astronauts came two years ago. More than 8,000 people applied, and 10 of them made the final cut in September 2025. That class has not solved the staffing problem. NASA currently has only 32 active astronauts, and it is trying to extend humanity's presence beyond low-Earth orbit as fast as it can. The lunar campaign began in April, when the Artemis II crew flew around the moon.
Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik put the shortage plainly in comments to The Associated Press on Saturday. The agency, he said, has far more work than it has astronauts.
The timeline is fairly tight. Applicants have until Dec. 3 to submit. NASA expects to make its final selection by late 2027, and the new candidates would start training by early 2028. That is the same year the agency intends to put astronauts back on the lunar surface, more than half a century after the last people left it. Bresnik told prospective candidates that by then there will be people on the moon, so they should not 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 is meant as a dress rehearsal for Artemis IV the following year, which will attempt to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole. The moon base is expected to take shape gradually, as more rovers, robots, structures and power grids are launched.
Frank Rubio, another member of the Artemis III crew, stressed that patience is part of the job. Rubio holds the U.S. endurance record, with 371 consecutive days in space. Candidates must be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional work experience. Selection is followed by two years of mandatory training, which can be grueling, and it may take several more years before a new astronaut actually flies.
Rubio also tried to set expectations about what the work involves. Most of it, he told the AP, is not going to the moon. He put that part at about 1% of an astronaut's experience, with the rest spent contributing to the mission of getting there.
This will be NASA's 25th astronaut class, counting back to the original Mercury Seven in 1959. The deadline is Dec. 3, and the selection, due by late 2027, will show who trains alongside the first crews headed for the lunar surface.
Citazioni salienti
We have far more work than we have astronauts.— Randy Bresnik, Artemis III commander
Most of that work is not going to the moon; that will be about 1% of your experience.— Frank Rubio, Artemis III astronaut (paraphrased)
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