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NASA Is Selecting Future Astronauts. Here’s How to Apply.
Confirmed
In Short: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized the importance of technical excellence, sound judgment, teamwork, and courage for the next generation of astronauts, who will help write history and inspire future scientists, engineers, and explorers.
Apply to Become A NASA Astronaut. NASA
NASA is seeking qualified individuals to apply for its 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class, with applications due by December. The agency aims to select new astronauts by late next year and begin training them in early 2028.
The last time NASA opened its doors to new astronauts was two years ago, receiving over 8,000 applications. This time, NASA is particularly eager to fill its 32 active astronaut positions to support upcoming missions.
NASA's plans include returning humans to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era, with the goal of establishing a base at the Moon's south pole. The agency also aims to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s.
The Artemis III mission, set to launch in 2027, will send NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano aboard the Orion spacecraft into low Earth orbit to test human landing systems.
In addition to the Artemis III mission, NASA is developing a nuclear-powered, six-wheeled rover to survey the Moon's surface, identify potential landing sites, and help with future infrastructure and exploration activities.
NASA's Artemis II mission, scheduled for launch in 2026, will send astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day trip more than 230,000 miles from Earth.
The agency also announced new awards and mission updates, including the development of the Moon Base and the launch of CAPSTONE 02, LCRNS, and MoonFall to support future missions.
NASA's activities on the International Space Station, including transporting crew and conducting research, are crucial for future missions across the solar system.
The four astronauts who recently returned from the ISS spent 237 days in orbit, traveling over 100 million miles and completing thousands of trips around Earth while carrying out scientific experiments that could shape future missions to the Moon and Mars.
What's confirmed
- Samples from Phobos will provide useful data for scientists to consider using a Martian moon as a base for a future manned mission to the planet, said MMX project manager Yasuhiro Kawakatsu.
- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's launch on Tuesday comes as other nations consider sending astronauts to Mars.
What's still developing
- "The people we select could walk on the Moon, live and work at the Moon Base, and help pioneer the systems and operations that will ultimately carry crews to Mars," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said.
- "Those missions will demand technical excellence, sound judgment, teamwork, and courage." Anyone looking to become an astronaut has until Dec.
- "It is a chance to join a legacy of explorers who have pushed the boundaries of discovery and play a role in the missions that will shape humanity’s future in space," Tingle said.
- During the planned 14-day mission, crews and flight controllers will practice the rendezvous, docking, habitation, and operational procedures that will be essential when Artemis astronauts begin landing near the Moon’s South Pole in 2028.
- And barring any last-minute hiccups, four astronauts on Wednesday will begin a journey that sends them farther from Earth than any human has gone before.
- “Today we take another bold step in humanity's return to the Moon, building on the extraordinary foundation laid by the Artemis II astronauts," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a press release.
- "Our last astronaut candidate class was greater than 50% female. We'll assemble the best astronauts to undertake and complete the objectives set up for the following mission."
- Please enjoy the following scenes from Halloweens past even as we anticipate the costumes of the future.
- "NASA's activities supporting the International Space Station -- transporting crew, conducting impactful research, and maintaining critical national assets -- enable the science, engineering, and risk‑reduction needed for future missions across the solar system," said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA's Low Earth Orbit Program at the agency's Johnson Space Center.
- "We're grateful for the dedication across the human spaceflight team that makes this possible, and we're thrilled to welcome Jessica, Jack, Sophie, and Andrey home." Over the course of their 237-day stay, the astronauts circled Earth more than 3,792 times, accumulating over 100 million miles of travel.