NASA opens astronaut applications through Dec 3, aiming for 2027 class
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The gist
NASA is accepting astronaut applications through Dec. 3, with only 32 active astronauts on staff.
The agency says it needs more recruits as it pushes toward Moon missions.
Background
NASA selects astronaut candidates who train for two years at Johnson Space Center in Houston before being assigned to missions; it has chosen 370 people since the 1960s and most recently picked 10 from more than 8,000 applicants in 2025. The agency says it needs more recruits because it has only 32 active astronauts as it looks to expand humanity's presence beyond low-Earth orbit. The push follows April's crewed Artemis II flight around the Moon, which kicked off the lunar campaign. This would be NASA's 25th astronaut class since the original Mercury Seven in 1959.
How it unfolded
- Apr 10, 2026The Artemis II crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen — splashed down in the Pacific off California after a nearly 10-day mission around the Moon.
- Nov 3, 2026Three NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station — Anil Menon, Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney — cast ballots in the 2026 midterm elections.
- Nov 4, 2026Mission managers cleared two astronauts to exit the ISS and install its eighth and final roll-out solar array, completing a power upgrade from 160 kilowatts to about 215 kilowatts.
- Nov 4, 2026NASA leadership shared updates on acceleration plans for Artemis, advancing toward the Artemis III test flight in 2027 and the Artemis IV Moon landing in 2028.
- Nov 5, 2026NASA astronaut Anil Menon and CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk were scheduled to begin a roughly seven-hour spacewalk at about 8:30 a.m. ET to install the final roll-out solar array.
- Nov 7, 2026NASA announced at a Kennedy Space Center air show that it is accepting astronaut applications through Dec. 3.
- late 2027NASA expects to select its next class of astronaut candidates, with new candidates beginning training by early 2028.
Key terms
- Artemis II
- Second mission of NASA's Artemis program and its first crewed flight, sending four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon.
- low-Earth orbit
- An orbit around Earth at a relatively low altitude, typically below about 2,000 kilometers.
- CSA
- The national space agency of Canada, established in 1990.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called it "an extraordinary time to join NASA's astronaut corps," saying selectees could walk on the Moon, live and work at a Moon base, and help pioneer systems for crews to Mars.
- Official
- Isaacman said NASA is "very energized" and must move with urgency as strategic competitors pursue a permanent presence beyond Earth.
- Expert
- Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik said "we have far more work than we have astronauts" and that "we're going to have people on the moon—so don't delay."
- Expert
- Artemis III astronaut Frank Rubio said most of the work won't be going to the Moon—"about 1% of your experience"—but contributing to the mission of going there.