On a Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, amid an air show devoted to lunar exploration, NASA opened the door to a new generation of astronauts, the twenty-fifth class counted from the Mercury Seven of 1959. The agency has only thirty-two active flyers to carry a program now reaching toward a permanent presence on the moon, and it is asking the world's aspirants to step forward before the December 3 deadline. Behind the call lies a simple truth that the people closest to the work keep returning to: the moon is an ambition measured in years of patient preparation, and those who answer now will hel
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? The last class was only picked in September 2025.
Mimi
Because the roster is thin. Only 32 astronauts are active, and Bresnik says there's far more work than people to do it.
Mark
How competitive was the last round?
Luke
More than 8,000 applied and 10 were selected. That's the confirmed figure from the last call. We don't have any projection yet for how many will apply this time.
Mimi
Timing matters too. Selection by late 2027, training by early 2028, the same year NASA plans to land astronauts on the moon.
Mark
So these recruits won't be the ones landing?
Luke
The source doesn't say who will fly which mission. And Rubio notes that training is two years, then possibly several more before a flight. So it's reasonable to doubt they'd be on early landings, but that's inference, not reporting.
Mimi
Rubio's point is that the job is mostly supporting work. Going to the moon is about 1% of the experience.
Mark
What's happening in between?
Mimi
Next summer Bresnik's crew tests docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers, close to Earth. Then Artemis IV attempts a south pole landing the following year.
Luke
And that 2028 landing is NASA's intention, not a guarantee. The article gives a goal, not a settled schedule.
Il Polso
- NASA has more work than astronauts, with only 32 active flyers and a lunar return ambition pressing on the calendar.
- The last call drew more than 8,000 applicants, a crowd that shows how strongly the public still pulls toward the moon.
- Applications close December 3, and training is set to begin by early 2028 after final selection in late 2027.
- Next summer's Artemis mission will rehearse docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers ahead of a planned south pole landing.
On a Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, amid an air show devoted to lunar exploration, NASA opened the door to a new generation of astronauts, the twenty-fifth class counted from the Mercury Seven of 1959. The agency has only thirty-two active flyers to carry a program now reaching toward a permanent presence on the moon, and it is asking the world's aspirants to step forward before the December 3 deadline. Behind the call lies a simple truth that the people closest to the work keep returning to: the moon is an ambition measured in years of patient preparation, and those who answer now will help shape a return to the lunar surface that the nation intends to make in 2028.
On Saturday, at an air show at Kennedy Space Center devoted to lunar exploration, NASA officials announced they are recruiting another class of astronauts. The recruits will help expand the Artemis program and, eventually, a permanent base on the moon.
The last recruiting round closed two years ago, drawing more than 8,000 applicants and yielding ten chosen astronauts in September 2025. Today NASA has only 32 active astronauts, and it wants more as it pushes to extend human presence beyond low-Earth orbit. The effort gained momentum in April, when the Artemis II crew flew around the moon.
Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told the Associated Press the problem plainly: there is far more work than astronauts to do it. Applications are open until December 3, with final candidates expected by late 2027 and training starting by early 2028, the same year the agency aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface again. Bresnik urged hopefuls not to delay, since people will be on the moon by then.
Next summer, Bresnik and three crewmates will launch on a mission that stays near Earth, practicing docking with two lunar landers built by SpaceX and Blue Origin. It is a dress rehearsal for Artemis IV, which will attempt a landing near the lunar south pole. Frank Rubio, holder of the U.S. record for endurance in space at 371 consecutive days, stressed patience: most of an astronaut's life is not spent on the moon, which he estimated at about 1 percent of the experience, but in the work that makes getting there possible.
On Saturday, at an air show at Kennedy Space Center devoted to lunar exploration, aviation and new technology, NASA officials announced that the agency is looking for another class of astronauts. The recruits would help expand the Artemis program, and eventually help build a permanent base on the moon.
The last call for applicants came two years ago. More than 8,000 people applied, and 10 were chosen in September 2025. NASA now has only 32 active astronauts, and it wants more as it works to extend human presence beyond low-Earth orbit as quickly as it can. The campaign began in April, when the Artemis II crew flew around the moon.
Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik put the problem plainly to The Associated Press on Saturday: the agency has far more work than astronauts to do it. Applications are open until Dec. 3. NASA expects to choose its final candidates by late 2027, and training would begin 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. By then, Bresnik said, there will be people on the moon, so he urged would-be candidates not to delay.
Bresnik and his three crewmates will launch next summer on a mission that 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. 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 specific. Candidates must be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional work experience. Those chosen face two years of mandatory training, which can be grueling, and it may take several more years after that before an astronaut actually flies.
Frank Rubio, another Artemis III astronaut, holds the U.S. record for endurance in space with 371 consecutive days. He stressed that patience is essential. He told the AP that applicants should understand that most of the work is not going to the moon, which he put at about 1% of an astronaut's experience. The rest, he said, is contributing to the mission of getting there.
This will be NASA's 25th astronaut class, counting from the original Mercury Seven in 1959. The deadline is Dec. 3, and next summer's docking test will be the next visible step toward the south pole landing.
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 the mission of going there.— Frank Rubio, Artemis III astronaut (paraphrased), to The Associated Press
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