On a Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, amid an air show celebrating flight and invention, NASA opened its doors once more to people willing to leave the ground behind. The agency is seeking a new class of astronauts, a small band chosen from a sea of hopefuls, because the work of returning humans to the moon has already outrun the few who are ready to do it. Between the close of applications and the first days of training stretches a long, patient road, the same road every generation of explorers has walked since the Mercury Seven first took their places in 1959.
NASA Opens Applications for New Astronaut Class to Staff Its Expanding Artemis Lunar Program
"We have far more work than we have astronauts."
Mark
Why is NASA recruiting now, so soon after the last class?
Mimi
The agency has only 32 active astronauts, and the last class of 10 was picked in September 2025. Artemis is growing, and Randy Bresnik said there's far more work than astronauts.
Mark
How competitive is this likely to be?
Mimi
The last call drew more than 8,000 applicants for 10 spots. The deadline this time is Dec. 3.
Luke
Careful, though. We know the last pool size. We don't know how many will apply this time, or how many NASA plans to select.
Mark
Fair. What's the timeline for those who get in?
Mimi
Selection by late 2027, training by early 2028, and two years of mandatory training. Then it could be several more years before a flight.
Luke
So the 2028 lunar landing is almost certainly not going to be flown by this class. The source doesn't say who would crew it.
Mark
What did Frank Rubio mean by the 1% remark?
Mimi
That going to the moon is a tiny share of an astronaut's career. Most of it is supporting the mission.
Luke
And that's his view, though he holds the U.S. record of 371 consecutive days in space. The 2028 landing date is NASA's stated intention, not a guarantee.
Il Polso
- Only 32 active astronauts stand between NASA and an ambitious lunar schedule, and the demand for hands is growing faster than the roster.
- Over 8,000 people applied last time for just 10 seats, a crowded threshold that reveals how fiercely the dream of flight still pulls.
- Applications close December 3, with selection targeted for late 2027 and training beginning in early 2028.
- Next summer's Artemis III mission will rehearse docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers, a practice run for the planned south pole landing the year after.
On a Saturday at Kennedy Space Center, amid an air show celebrating flight and invention, NASA opened its doors once more to people willing to leave the ground behind. The agency is seeking a new class of astronauts, a small band chosen from a sea of hopefuls, because the work of returning humans to the moon has already outrun the few who are ready to do it. Between the close of applications and the first days of training stretches a long, patient road, the same road every generation of explorers has walked since the Mercury Seven first took their places in 1959.
At an air show at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, NASA made a call aimed squarely at anyone who has ever dreamed of reaching the moon. The agency is accepting applications for a new class of astronauts, and the reason is simple: it has only 32 active astronauts, and the lunar program is moving faster than its crew roster can keep up with.
The last recruitment drew more than 8,000 applicants for just 10 places. NASA now wants more people because it intends to push human presence beyond low-Earth orbit, a campaign that gained momentum in April when the Artemis II crew flew around the moon. Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told the Associated Press there is far more work than astronauts to do, and urged candidates not to wait, since people will be on the lunar surface by the time new trainees finish preparing.
Applications close Dec. 3, with selection expected by late 2027 and training starting in early 2028, the same year astronauts return to the moon after more than fifty years. Candidates must be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional experience, and they will face two grueling years of mandatory training before any flight.
Frank Rubio, who holds the American endurance record of 371 consecutive days in space, cautioned that patience is essential. Most of the job, he said, is not the trip to the moon, which accounts for roughly 1% of an astronaut's career, but the work that makes such journeys possible. Next summer, Bresnik and his crewmates will rehearse docking with two landers, one from SpaceX and one from Blue Origin, a dress rehearsal for the Artemis IV south pole landing.
At an air show at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, NASA officials made an announcement aimed at anyone who has ever wanted to fly to the moon: the agency is taking applications for a new class of astronauts. The event was meant to promote lunar exploration alongside advances in aviation and technology, and the recruitment call fit squarely inside that pitch.
The need is plain in the numbers. NASA has only 32 active astronauts. Its previous call came two years ago and drew more than 8,000 applicants, of whom 10 were chosen in September 2025. The agency wants more people now because it intends to extend human presence beyond low-Earth orbit as quickly as it can, a campaign that began in April when the Artemis II crew flew around the moon.
Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik put it bluntly to The Associated Press on Saturday: there is far more work than there are astronauts. Applicants have until Dec. 3 to submit. NASA expects to make its final selection by late 2027, and the new candidates should begin training by early 2028. That is the same year the agency plans to put astronauts back on the lunar surface, ending an absence of more than fifty years. By then, Bresnik said, people will be on the moon, so he urged would-be candidates not to delay.
Bresnik and his three crewmates launch next summer on a mission that will stay 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 is meant to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole. Beyond that, the planned moon base is expected to take shape as more rovers, robots, structures and power grids are launched.
Frank Rubio, also on the Artemis III crew, stressed that the job demands patience. Rubio holds the U.S. record for endurance in space, with 371 consecutive days. 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 be several more years before a new astronaut actually rockets into space.
Rubio also tried to set expectations about what the career consists of. Most of the work, he told the AP, is not going to the moon; that would be about 1% of an astronaut's experience. The rest is contributing to the mission that makes such a trip possible.
This will be NASA's 25th astronaut class, counting back to the original Mercury Seven in 1959. The next markers are the Dec. 3 deadline and next summer's docking test, the rehearsal for the Artemis IV landing attempt.
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.— Frank Rubio, Artemis III astronaut, to The Associated Press (paraphrased)
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