NASA opens applications for new astronaut class to support Artemis program

NASA announced on Saturday at a Kennedy Space Center air show that it is accepting applications for a new astronaut class to expand the Artemis program. The agency received more than 8,000 applications for its last recruitment two years ago and selected 10 candidates in September 2025. With 32 active astronauts, NASA says it needs additional personnel to accelerate its plans beyond low-Earth orbit.

"We have far more work than we have astronauts," Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told the Associated Press.

Applicants have until Dec. 3 to apply, and NASA expects to announce the final selection by late 2027. The chosen astronauts would begin training in early 2028, the same year NASA aims to return humans to the lunar surface after more than half a century. Bresnik urged potential candidates not to delay, noting that a crew will be on the moon soon.

Bresnik and his three crewmates are scheduled to launch next summer for a mission that will practice docking with lunar landers built by SpaceX and Blue Origin, serving as a rehearsal for the Artemis IV mission, which plans to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole the following year.

Artemis III astronaut Frank Rubio, who holds a U.S. endurance record of 371 consecutive days in space, emphasized that most astronaut work will support the overall lunar mission rather than direct moonflight. Candidates must be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional experience, and will undergo two years of mandatory training before possible flight assignments. This will be NASA's 25th astronaut class since the Mercury Seven in 1959.