NASA has announced it is accepting applications for a new astronaut class. Its members will take part in the Artemis program, which envisions returning humans to the Moon and creating a permanent base. The announcement was made at an airshow at Kennedy Space Center.
The previous recruitment was held two years ago: more than 8,000 applications were received then, but only 10 people were selected in September 2025. NASA currently has 32 active astronauts, and the agency needs new personnel to expand human presence beyond low Earth orbit.
"We have far more work than astronauts," said Artemis III mission commander Randy Bresnik. According to him, the April crewed flyby of the Moon by Artemis II marked the start of the lunar campaign.
Applications are accepted until December 3. NASA plans to complete the final selection by the end of 2027 and to begin training the newcomers in early 2028 - the same year the agency intends to return astronauts to the lunar surface after a gap of more than half a century. "By then we will have people on the Moon, so don't delay," Bresnik urged.
Next summer, Bresnik and three of his colleagues will go into orbit to practice docking the capsule with two lunar landers - one being built by Elon Musk's SpaceX, the other by Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin. The mission will take place near Earth, without a lunar flyby, and will serve as a dress rehearsal before Artemis IV, which a year later will attempt to land two astronauts near the Moon's south pole. The lunar base will take shape as new rovers, robots, structures and power grids are launched.
Frank Rubio of the Artemis III crew, who spent 371 consecutive days in space - a U.S. endurance record - noted that future astronauts need patience. Candidates must be U.S. citizens and have a university education and professional experience. Two years of mandatory training can be grueling, and several more years may pass before a first flight.
"It's important to understand that most of this work is not flying to the Moon. That will be about 1% of your experience. You are contributing to the mission of flying to the Moon," Rubio said.
The current recruitment will be NASA's latest astronaut class since the first Mercury Seven group was created in 1959.