If you ever wanted to be an astronaut, NASA is hiring. The space agency has opened applications for its next group of astronauts, and some of the people it picks could end up walking on the Moon.
NASA made the announcement over the weekend at an event at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Applications close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, 3 December.
Who can apply
The rules are strict. You have to be a US citizen. You also need a master’s degree in a science, technology, engineering or maths subject, plus at least three years of work experience after that degree.
There are other ways in. Doctors with a medical degree can apply, and so can experienced pilots. For jet pilots, NASA asks for at least 750 hours as the pilot in command of high-performance jet aircraft. Everyone who gets through also has to pass NASA’s astronaut medical exam.
Applications go through the US government’s official jobs website.
A long road to space
This will be NASA’s 25th class of astronauts, and its first call for new ones in about two years. The last time, more than 8,000 people applied. Only 10 were chosen, and NASA introduced them in September 2025. It was the first NASA class with more women than men.
Those numbers show how hard it is to get in. In the whole history of the program, only about 370 people have been picked as NASA astronauts.
NASA expects to name the new class in late 2027. After that come about two years of training, and it can take several more years before a new astronaut gets a seat on a flight.
Why NASA wants more astronauts now
The Artemis program is heating up. Artemis II flew four astronauts around the Moon in April this year. Artemis III is planned for 2027 and will test docking with moon landers while staying close to Earth.
Then comes the big one. NASA plans Artemis IV for 2028, with two astronauts set to land on the Moon. Nobody has walked there since 1972. The new class will train for missions in Earth orbit and on the Moon, and NASA also wants people to help build and work at a future base there.
Our take
This is one of those job ads that makes you stop scrolling. Most of us will never have the right degree or the jet hours, and the odds are tiny even for those who do. Still, someone who applies this month could get picked and maybe stand on the Moon one day. That is a fun thought.
If you know someone with the right background, send this to them before 3 December.
Would you apply to be a NASA astronaut if you could? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Buzz Aldrin on the Moon during Apollo 11 in 1969 by Neil Armstrong / NASA (public domain); the Artemis II crew portrait by Josh Valcarcel / NASA (public domain); the Artemis II launch in April 2026 by NASA (public domain); NASA’s 2025 astronaut class at the Johnson Space Center by Josh Valcarcel / NASA (public domain).
