NASA opened applications for a new astronaut class Saturday, seeking to expand a corps of 32 active astronauts as it prepares for increasingly demanding lunar missions. Applications close Dec. 3, and final selections are expected in late 2027, the agency said in its recruitment announcement. The new intake begins a lengthy selection and training process, rather than assigning recruits directly to a Moon flight.

Officials announced the opening during an air show at Kennedy Space Center, according to the Associated Press. The decision adds a workforce commitment to NASA’s exploration plans. Hardware development, mission preparation and astronaut readiness run on different timelines, and selecting candidates is only the first step toward making them eligible for assignments.

A Selection Process Extending Into 2028

NASA’s published selection timetable begins with the Nov. 7 vacancy announcement and the Dec. 3 closing date. Application review is scheduled from December through April 2027. Initial interviews and assessments at Johnson Space Center in Houston are planned for spring, followed by final interviews during the summer.

The agency anticipates announcing its next candidate class in fall 2027, with recruits reporting to Johnson in winter 2027–28. NASA labels that schedule tentative and says it may extend or accelerate depending on the number of applicants. An application deadline is therefore firmer than a forecast of when any selected person might fly. NASA says applicants will be notified after selections are announced, making the review period an extended process rather than a rolling offer of immediate positions.

The previous recruitment round illustrates the narrow selection funnel. More than 8,000 people applied in 2024, and NASA selected 10 candidates in 2025. Those candidates are still completing nearly two years of initial training. The agency has not announced the size of the new class in the current recruitment release, so the earlier intake should not be read as a promised hiring total.

Technical Experience Beyond the Cockpit

The current application requirements include U.S. citizenship, a master’s degree in a qualifying science, technology, engineering or mathematics field, and at least three years of related professional experience after completion of the qualifying degree. Candidates must also pass NASA’s long-duration flight physical and demonstrate leadership, teamwork and communication skills.

The education requirement has alternatives, including specified doctoral study, qualifying medical degrees and recognized test-pilot-school training. The current rules also provide distinct flight-experience pathways for pilots of high-performance jets, other fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. These are alternatives within a defined eligibility framework, rather than a requirement that every applicant arrive as a military test pilot.

NASA’s selection FAQ explicitly says that neither military service nor flying experience is necessary. It also states that the program has no age restriction and that medical requirements are not waived. Together, those rules separate a broad professional recruitment pool from the specific physical and operational demands of spaceflight.

The FAQ does not endorse one qualifying degree field or university over another. Engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science and mathematics can all provide an eligible foundation, while the institution must be accredited. Dual U.S. citizens may apply; international partner agencies select their own astronauts. For applicants, those distinctions matter because NASA’s recruitment is a specific employment and selection process, rather than an open registration for anyone seeking a future spaceflight.

Training Connects People to Complex Systems

NASA’s account of its 2025 class shows what follows selection. At Johnson Space Center in Texas, candidates have been learning space-station systems, orbital mechanics and flight operations. Their robotic-arm training includes understanding how to capture visiting spacecraft, move equipment outside the station and support spacewalks.

The class has also completed land and water survival exercises intended to develop teamwork and decision-making under pressure. Spacewalk practice takes place underwater in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, while aircraft training adds another operational setting. NASA says subsequent instruction includes spacecraft systems and geology in classrooms and field environments. The class is also expected to work shifts in Houston’s Mission Control Center, learning how ground personnel monitor astronauts and vehicles during operations.

That curriculum explains why the recruitment effort matters to technology programs well before a launch. Astronauts must understand interacting systems, recognize failures and work with ground teams. A new spacecraft or surface capability creates training obligations as well as engineering milestones; the personnel pipeline must prepare people to operate and troubleshoot the equipment.

A Larger Corps Does Not Guarantee a Moon Assignment

NASA describes the new class as supporting Artemis and future exploration, but selection is not a guarantee of a particular mission or destination. The agency’s current training guidance distinguishes astronaut candidates from flight-ready astronauts. Candidates spend roughly two years acquiring foundational skills before becoming eligible for assignments, and readiness does not establish a launch date.

The immediate milestone is therefore a recruiting window, followed by assessments, selection and training. NASA’s plans for a sustained lunar presence provide the context, while the application documents establish what is actually underway. The next concrete tests will be the selection timetable, the number of candidates chosen and their progress through training—not an assumption that today’s applicants will join the next crew headed toward the Moon.