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NASA Seeks New Astronauts for Moon Missions
· Confirmed
In Short: The Artemis II mission, which recently sent a crew of four astronauts around the moon, set a record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth.
NASA is recruiting its next class of astronauts, inviting U.S. Citizens to apply by midnight ET on December 3, 2026, for the chance to live and work on the moon. The agency is seeking individuals who are willing to endure extreme isolation, austere living conditions, and separation from loved ones for up to 12 months or longer.
Applicants must fit into one of four educational profiles and have at least three years of professional experience after completing their degree program or pilot training. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized that the selected candidates could walk on the moon, live and work at a moon base, and help pioneer systems and operations that will ultimately carry crews to Mars.
The Artemis II mission, which recently sent a crew of four astronauts around the moon, set a record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth. The next group of astronauts will join NASA’s current 32 active astronauts and will undergo nearly two years of training.
NASA’s Artemis program aims to establish a regular cycle of moon landings and is seeking proposals for sustainable lunar lander development and demonstration. The agency is also accepting applications for private astronaut missions to the International Space Station, which could be commanded by someone other than a former NASA astronaut.
NASA’s live broadcast showed the capsule from the Artemis II mission making a safe landing, marking the end of the crew’s extended stay in orbit. The agency is nearing the launch of Crew-13, a four-person mission that could reach the International Space Station in less than nine hours.
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.
The space agency is recruiting its next class of space travelers for missions to low-Earth orbit and the moon, with selected candidates potentially preparing for future Moon missions and living at a lunar base.
What this adds
NASA’s recruitment drive follows its previous call in 2025, from which 10 astronaut candidates were selected and are currently completing their training. The agency’s Artemis program aims to return humans to the lunar surface and establish a sustainable presence there.
Background
NASA is accepting applications for a new astronaut class to help grow its Artemis program, aiming to return humans to the lunar surface.
What's confirmed
- "Those missions will demand technical excellence, sound judgment, teamwork and courage." Here are the qualifications NASA is looking for in an astronaut.
- "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 in a statement.
- NASA's job application portal states that applicants must fit into one of the following four educational profiles: Applicants must also select a discipline they best qualify for based on their work experience, with NASA requiring three years of professional experience after completing their degree program or pilot training.
- The agency has 32 astronauts active in the astronaut corps, and selected applicants will join their ranks to study spacewalking, lunar geology, operations of high-performance aircraft, and more.
What's still developing
- "We just don't have enough people, and we're looking for more," one NASA astronaut told Space.com.
- Lola and Ruby say they're lucky to be able to have such a close connection with NASA as a school Speaking to a real astronaut was "very cool" according to Ruby, 10, "because no other schools in Wales will get that experience".
- 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 astronaut Anil Menon and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk have completed a 7-hour, 11-minute spacewalk outside the International Space Station, marking another important step in a major upgrade to the orbiting laboratory's power system.
- According to Space.com, NASA outlined the updated development schedules during an October 5 presentation at the International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Türkiye.
- NASA says a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the company’s 35th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, carrying more than 6,300 pounds of supplies and hardware.