NASA opens applications for new astronaut cohort to support lunar base plans
NASA announced it is accepting applications for a new class of astronauts who could test spacecraft and eventually live and work on a future Moon base, with a deadline of Dec. 3.
NASA said it is now accepting applications from U.S. citizens who meet its updated educational and experience criteria to join the agency's astronaut corps. The agency plans to select candidates who will test spacecraft and later live and work on a Moon base as part of the Artemis program.
"Those missions will demand technical excellence, sound judgment, teamwork, and courage," the statement from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman read.
The astronaut corps currently includes 32 active members, and since the 1960s the agency has trained 370 people as astronauts. The application process remains highly competitive; the last class accepted 10 out of more than 8,000 applicants.
Applicants must hold a master’s degree in a STEM-related field, which now includes nursing degrees, according to NASA spokesperson Anna Schneider. A minimum of three years of professional experience after the degree is also required, though candidates in a PhD program, medical doctors, or pilots with extensive flight experience may be considered.
Selected astronauts will undergo a two-year training program that prepares them for missions such as a landing near the Moon’s South Pole. NASA aims to return humans to the Moon by 2028, with private partners like Blue Origin and SpaceX developing the necessary systems. Isaacman told a press conference on Nov. 7 that he is "very confident" the Artemis III mission will launch in 2027.
The starting salary for the position is $164,395, and applications will be accepted through Dec. 3.