NASA has opened applications for a new astronaut class as it prepares to expand its Artemis lunar exploration program, with a Dec. 3 deadline for prospective recruits.

Officials announced the recruitment drive Saturday at an air show at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, according to reporting by Marcia Dunn of The Associated Press, published by CityNews.

The agency expects to select candidates by late 2027 and begin their training in early 2028. Applicants must be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional work experience.

NASA has 32 active astronauts. Its previous recruitment round attracted more than 8,000 applicants, with 10 selected in September 2025.

“We have far more work than we have astronauts,” Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told AP.

The recruitment comes as NASA works toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028. That remains a planned milestone, with preparatory missions still ahead.

Bresnik and three crewmates are scheduled to launch next summer on Artemis III, staying close to Earth to practise docking their capsule with lunar landers built by SpaceX and Blue Origin. The flight is intended as a rehearsal for Artemis IV, which will attempt to land two astronauts near the moon’s south pole the following year.

For recruits, selection would mark the beginning of a lengthy process rather than an immediate ticket to space. Mandatory training takes two years, and candidates could wait several more years for a flight assignment.

Artemis III astronaut Frank Rubio, whose 371 consecutive days in space set a U.S. endurance record, told AP that patience is essential and that most of the work happens away from the moon.

“What you’re doing is contributing to the mission of going to the moon,” he said.

The incoming group will be NASA’s 25th astronaut class since the Mercury Seven in 1959.

Sources