On a Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, amid an air show celebrating flight in all its forms, NASA opened the door to a new generation of astronauts, asking who among us is willing to help carry human presence beyond the orbit that has held us for six decades. The call comes two years after the last one, when thousands applied for a handful of seats, and it reflects a simple arithmetic problem: the moon is calling louder than the agency's roster of 32 active astronauts can answer. Applications close December 3, with the choosing expected by late 2027, as humanity inches back toward the lunar su
NASA Opens Applications for New Astronaut Class to Help Build Artemis Lunar Program
"We have far more work than we have astronauts."
Mark
Why is NASA recruiting again so soon? It only picked a class in September 2025.
Mimi
Because the pool is small. Only 32 astronauts are active, and Bresnik said there is far more work than there are people to do it.
Mark
The first line of the announcement pitches flying to the moon. Is that realistic for a new recruit?
Mimi
Rubio was blunt about it. He said about 1% of an astronaut's experience is the moon itself. The rest is contributing to the mission.
Luke
Worth noting that's his estimate, not a measured figure. It's a veteran's way of setting expectations.
Mark
What does the timing look like for someone who applies now?
Mimi
Applications close Dec. 3, selection comes by late 2027, and training starts by early 2028. Training is two years, and a flight could come several years after that.
Luke
So nobody in this class is promised a lunar landing. The 2028 landing is NASA's intention, and the people who fly it will almost certainly come from earlier classes.
Mark
Is that landing firmly scheduled?
Luke
The article says NASA intends it. Artemis IV is described as attempting a south pole landing with two astronauts, and attempts depend on the Artemis III docking test going well next summer.
Mimi
That test uses landers from both SpaceX and Blue Origin, so it matters a lot.
Luke
One thing the article doesn't say is how many people NASA plans to select this time. We only know the last class was 10 out of more than 8,000.
Le Pouls
- NASA has only 32 active astronauts while its Artemis ambitions are multiplying faster than its crew can grow.
- Applications close December 3, and the clock toward a 2028 lunar landing is already running.
- Artemis III's crew will rehearse docking with two competing commercial lunar landers next summer, a test with no room for error.
- Candidates must be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional experience, then endure two years of grueling training before any flight is assured.
- The moon base will rise slowly, piece by piece, as rovers, robots and power systems arrive over the years ahead.
On a Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, amid an air show celebrating flight in all its forms, NASA opened the door to a new generation of astronauts, asking who among us is willing to help carry human presence beyond the orbit that has held us for six decades. The call comes two years after the last one, when thousands applied for a handful of seats, and it reflects a simple arithmetic problem: the moon is calling louder than the agency's roster of 32 active astronauts can answer. Applications close December 3, with the choosing expected by late 2027, as humanity inches back toward the lunar surface for the first time in more than fifty years.
On Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, during an air show meant to celebrate lunar exploration alongside aviation and technology, NASA announced it is recruiting a new class of astronauts. The agency hopes these newcomers will 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, of whom only 10 were chosen in September 2025. That leaves just 32 active astronauts to carry a mission that is accelerating since the Artemis II crew circled the moon in April. Randy Bresnik, commander of Artemis III, put it plainly: there is far more work than there are astronauts.
Applications are open until December 3, with final candidates expected by late 2027 and training beginning in early 2028, the same year NASA aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface. Next summer, Bresnik and his crewmates will practice docking with two lunar landers, one from SpaceX and one from Blue Origin, as a rehearsal for Artemis IV's attempt to land near the lunar south pole.
Frank Rubio, who holds the U.S. endurance record of 371 consecutive days in space, offered a grounding note. Selected candidates will spend two demanding years in training, and many may wait years before flying. Most of the work, he said, is not the moon itself. It is the quiet contribution to a mission far bigger than any one flight.
On Saturday, at an air show at Kennedy Space Center meant to promote lunar exploration along with advances in aviation and technology, NASA announced it is taking applications for a new class of astronauts. The agency wants people who can help grow the Artemis program and, eventually, build a permanent base on the moon.
The last call for astronauts came two years ago. More than 8,000 people applied, and 10 were chosen in September 2025. Even so, NASA has only 32 active astronauts, and it is trying to extend human presence beyond low-Earth orbit as quickly as it can. That push began 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 tight. Applications are open until Dec. 3. NASA expects to pick its final candidates by late 2027, and they would begin training by early 2028. That is the same year the agency intends to put astronauts back on the lunar surface for the first time in more than half a century. By then, Bresnik said, "we're going to have people on the moon — so don't delay."
Bresnik and his three crewmates are due to launch next summer. Their job is to practice docking their capsule with two lunar landers, one built by Elon Musk's SpaceX and the other by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. The mission will stay close to Earth, with no lunar flyby, and will serve as a dress rehearsal for Artemis IV the following year. That flight will attempt to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole. The moon base itself is meant to take shape gradually, as more rovers, robots, structures and power grids are launched.
Frank Rubio, another Artemis III astronaut, stressed patience. He holds the U.S. endurance record of 371 consecutive days in space. Applicants 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.
Rubio cautioned that most of the work is not going to the moon. "That will be about 1% of your experience," he told the AP. "What you're doing is contributing to the mission of going to the moon."
This will be NASA's 25th astronaut class, counting from the original Mercury Seven in 1959. The next markers are the Dec. 3 deadline, next summer's Artemis III docking test, and the selection of the new class by late 2027.
Citations marquantes
We have far more work than we have astronauts.— Randy Bresnik, Artemis III commander
Going to the moon will be about 1% of your experience; you're contributing to the mission of going there.— Frank Rubio, Artemis III astronaut (paraphrased)
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