NASA Opens Astronaut Applications for Moon Base Crews, With Dec. 3 Deadline

NASA opened applications Saturday for its next class of astronaut candidates. U.S. citizens have four weeks to apply for a job that could take them to the Moon.

Applicants have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Dec. 3, to submit their materials, and NASA expects to make its final selections in late 2027, according to the agency’s announcement. It is the first time NASA has opened astronaut applications since 2024.

NASA said the new class will join the agency “as America returns to the Moon, builds the Moon Base, and lays the groundwork for the first crewed missions to Mars.” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said: “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.”

Officials announced the opening during an air show at Kennedy Space Center, according to the Associated Press.

A narrow funnel

More than 8,000 people applied in the last round in 2024, and NASA selected 10 candidates in 2025. That class is now in nearly two years of training. The agency has 32 active astronauts and has selected 370 people as astronaut candidates since the 1960s. NASA has not said how many people it plans to pick this time.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens with a master’s degree in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field. Two years of doctoral work, a medical degree or Test Pilot School can stand in for the master’s degree. Candidates also need at least three years of related professional experience after their qualifying degree. Pilots can meet that requirement with flight hours, including 750 hours as pilot in command of high-performance jets. Test Pilot School and medical residency must be finished by July 2027.

Candidates must also pass NASA’s long-duration astronaut flight physical. NASA’s selection FAQ says neither military service nor flying experience is required, and there is no age limit.

What training looks like

Chief astronaut Scott Tingle chairs the Astronaut Selection Board at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Application review runs from December through April 2027, with initial interviews and assessments at Johnson Space Center planned for spring and final interviews in the summer, according to NASA’s published timetable. The agency expects to announce the class in fall 2027, with recruits reporting to Johnson in winter 2027-28.

The 2025 class, now in training, has been learning space-station systems, orbital mechanics and flight operations, with spacewalk practice underwater in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and survival exercises on land and in water. Candidates spend about two years in training before they can be assigned to a mission, and selection does not guarantee a flight or a trip to the Moon.

Reporting based on coverage by NASA Watch, The American Quorum and the Associated Press.