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NASA Seeks New Astronauts for Artemis Moon Program
· Confirmed
In Short: The space agency is looking to expand its astronaut corps, currently comprising only 32 active members, to meet the growing demands of the Artemis program.
2 artemis iii con ops oct2026, NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
NASA reveals plans to accelerate Artemis mission, Moon landing. NewsNation
NASA is opening applications for a new astronaut class to support its Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon.
Patience is key for aspiring astronauts, noted Frank Rubio, commander of Artemis III, who holds the U.S. Record for consecutive days in space at 371 days.
The new astronaut class will begin training in early 2028, with the final selection expected by late 2027.
NASA's Artemis program plans to establish a permanent human presence on the moon, with the first crewed mission to the lunar surface set for 2028.
The Artemis II crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will travel more than 230,000 miles from Earth and 4,600 miles beyond the far side of the Moon during their 10-day mission.
The Artemis program will use its service module to perform maneuvers to transition to a circular orbit at about 345 miles for thermal stabilization before rendezvousing with the Blue Moon lander test article.
The Artemis I mission, launched in 2022, discovered unexpected issues with the heat shield of NASA’s Orion crew capsule, highlighting the complexity of the program.
NASA’s Artemis II mission will not include a lunar flyby but will serve as a dress rehearsal for the following year's Artemis IV mission, which aims to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole.
The Space Launch System rocket used in the Artemis program is one of the largest in the world, standing at 322 feet and about 15% more powerful than the Saturn V used for Apollo missions.
Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik emphasized the need for new astronauts, noting, “We have far more work than we have astronauts.”
What this adds
NASA expects more than 8,000 applications for the new astronaut class, with 10 candidates making the final cut in September 2025.
The Artemis program will continue to launch rovers, robots, structures, and power grids to materialize the moon base.
The Artemis II crew will no longer serve as active astronauts but will continue to support the moon exploration program as emeritus astronauts.
The Artemis program aims to establish a permanent U.S. human presence on the moon, with SpaceX and Blue Origin playing critical roles in the mission.
Background
The space agency is looking to expand its astronaut corps, currently comprising only 32 active members, to meet the growing demands of the Artemis program.
What's confirmed
- NASA is accepting applications for a new astronaut class that will help grow the Artemis program.
- Patience is essential for becoming an astronaut, noted Artemis III's Frank Rubio, whose 371 consecutive days in space is a U.S. endurance record.
- With only 32 active astronauts, the space agency needs more recruits as it looks to expand humanity’s presence beyond low-Earth orbit as quickly as possible.
- NASA expects to make its final selection by late 2027, with the new candidates beginning their training by early 2028 — the same year that NASA intends to return astronauts to the lunar surface after an absence of more than half a century.
- NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen — the crew of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission — are expected to travel more than 230,000 miles (37,0149 kilometers) from Earth and 4,600 miles (7,403 km) beyond the far side of the Moon during their 10-day trip.
- More than 8,000 applied, with 10 making the final cut in September 2025.
- The moon base will materialize as more rovers, robots, structures and power grids are launched.
- “We have far more work than we have astronauts,” Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told The Associated Press on Saturday.
- April's lunar flyaround by the Artemis II crew kicked off the lunar campaign.
- -- Want to fly to the moon and help build a permanent lunar base?
- Their mission will stick close to Earth — no lunar flyby — and serve as a dress rehearsal for the following year's Artemis IV mission that will attempt to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole.
- NASA’s last call for new astronauts was two years ago.
What's still developing
- 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.
- Students at Ysgol Cemaes were able to put their questions to Frank Rubio on Wednesday, who is set to be part of the crew for the Artemis III mission.
- 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.
- NASA's revised Artemis schedule puts SpaceX and Blue Origin on a tight path toward the first crewed lunar landing in more than 50 years.
- The most significant change concerns Artemis III, once expected to mark humanity’s return to the lunar surface.
- They are two out of the three companies who were originally competing for the LTV contract announced by NASA in 2024, which would’ve resulted in the selection of just one rover.
- “FLIP was always going to be a test bed for LTV, that’s why FLIP has extremely large tires because they were meant to be the LTV tires and big overpowered wheel actuators and large batteries,” Jaret Matthews, Astrolab’s CEO and founder, told Spaceflight Now following NASA’s May 26 Moon Base event.
- The New York Times framed it as NASA still aiming for the next Moon landing in 2028, NBC News called it a major overhaul of the Artemis moon program, and CBS News, Florida Today, Space Policy Online, WRAL and the Orlando Sentinel carried their own versions.
- “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."
- They’ll be put to the test during next year’s Artemis 3 mission, and NASA announced the schedule for it on October 23.
- “We’re launching three of the most powerful rockets in the world and undertaking what is likely the most complicated launch campaign ever undertaken,” said Jeremy Parsons, Artemis Program manager, during a press briefing.