NASA Astronaut Applications Open: Apply by Dec. 3 for Moon Base Era

NASA is looking for its next group of astronauts. On 7 November 2026 the agency opened applications for a new astronaut class, its first call since 2024, and US citizens have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, 3 December to apply. NASA says the people it chooses will train for missions to low Earth orbit and the Moon, including work at the Moon Base it is starting to build, with the final selection due in late 2027.

What did NASA announce?

NASA’s release frames the search around its lunar plans: the new astronauts will join as the United States returns to the Moon, builds the Moon Base and prepares for the first crewed missions to Mars, according to NASA Watch’s summary of the announcement. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the people selected “could walk on the Moon, live and work at the Moon Base.”

The application window runs for less than four weeks. Applications are submitted online through NASA’s astronaut pages (go.nasa.gov/astro2026), WRAL reported. Action News Jax noted that the call was announced at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and that the group will be the 25th astronaut class NASA has selected since the original Mercury 7 were named in 1959.

Selection is run by the Astronaut Selection Board at Johnson Space Center in Houston, which is chaired by chief astronaut Scott Tingle.

Who can apply to be a NASA astronaut?

The basic requirements are the same mix of education, experience and health that NASA has used for years:

• Citizenship: applicants must be US citizens.
• Education: a master’s degree in a STEM field such as engineering, biological science, physical science or computer science from an accredited school.
• Alternatives to a master’s: two years of work towards a relevant doctorate, a medical degree, or completion of a nationally recognised test pilot school programme. Test pilot school and any medical residency must be finished by July 2027.
• Experience: at least three years of related professional experience after the qualifying degree. Pilots can meet this with flight time, for example 750 hours as pilot in command of high-performance jet aircraft.
• Medical: candidates must pass NASA’s long-duration astronaut flight physical.
• Soft skills: NASA also looks for proven leadership, teamwork and communication skills.

WRAL listed the salary as $164,395 a year.

Common myths about becoming an astronaut

NASA’s guidance, as reported by WRAL, clears up several assumptions that put people off applying:

• There is no age limit. The average age of selected astronauts is 34, but Kathryn Sullivan was 26 when she was chosen in 1978 and Barbara Morgan was 46 when she joined in 1988.
• Pilot experience is not required, although it can help.
• Military service is not required.
• A PhD is not required, even though many astronauts hold advanced degrees.
• Laser eye surgery is allowed (such as LASIK or PRK), as long as at least a year has passed with no lasting side effects.

April Jordan, who manages astronaut selection at NASA, told WRAL that flying in space is only part of the job: “You are a team member before you are any thing in this role.”

How competitive is it?

Very. The 2024 call drew more than 8,000 applicants, and NASA picked 10 candidates in 2025. That group, which includes Duke graduate Anna Menon, is now partway through nearly two years of training. Earlier rounds were even bigger: astronaut Zena Cardman was selected from more than 18,300 applicants for the 2017 class.

NASA says it currently has 32 active astronauts and has selected 370 astronaut candidates since the 1960s.

What will the new astronauts do?

According to the job description summarised by WRAL, the work includes operations in low Earth orbit, on the Moon and beyond; developing and testing spacecraft and habitats; spacewalks; operating robotic arms; and representing NASA in public. It also involves speaking up for crew safety in decisions about how spacecraft are designed and flown.

That work is already visible on the International Space Station, where astronauts recently finished installing the station’s last new solar array.

Why it matters

The timing ties the astronaut corps closely to NASA’s Moon Base plans. NASA Watch, citing Payload, reported that the first part of the Moon Base is due to launch next month, with robotic missions following almost every month from early 2027. Candidates picked in late 2027 would then spend about two years in training, which would put them in line for missions around the end of the decade as lunar surface operations ramp up.

For more on how NASA is presenting its lunar plans to the public this weekend, see our report on the MAX POWER air show at Kennedy Space Center.

What happens next?

• 3 December 2026: applications close at 11:59 p.m. EST.
• During 2027: the Astronaut Selection Board at Johnson Space Center reviews the applications.
• Late 2027: NASA expects to announce the new astronaut candidate class, which will then begin about two years of training.