CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Want to fly to the moon and help build a permanent lunar base? NASA is accepting applications for a new class of astronauts who will help develop the Artemis program.
Officials announced the news Saturday during a Kennedy Space Center air show promoting lunar exploration as well as advances in aviation and technology.
from NASA last call for new astronauts it was two years ago. More than 8,000 people applied, 10 of whom will be selected in September 2025.
With only 32 active astronauts, the space agency needs more recruits to expand humanity’s presence beyond low Earth orbit as quickly as possible. April lunar flyby by the crew of Artemis II kicked off the lunar campaign.
“We have way more work than we have astronauts,” Artemis III Commander Randy Bresnik told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Aspiring astronauts have until December 3 to submit their applications. NASA plans to make its final selection by the end of 2027, and new candidates will begin training in early 2028 – the same year NASA intends to return its astronauts to the lunar surface after an absence of more than half a century.
By then, “we will have people on the Moon – so don’t delay,” Bresnik urged potential candidates.
Bresnik and his three teammates will go into orbit next summer to practice docking their capsule with two lunar landers, one built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the other by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Their mission will remain close to Earth – no lunar flyby – and will serve as a dress rehearsal for the following year’s Artemis IV mission which will attempt to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole.
The moon base will materialize as more rovers, robots, structures and power grids are launched.
Patience is essential to becoming an astronaut, emphasized Frank Rubio of Artemis III, whose 371 consecutive days in space is a United States endurance record. Applicants must also be U.S. citizens with a college degree and work experience.
The two years of mandatory training can be grueling, and it could be several more years before finally blasting off into space.
“It’s important that they realize that most of this work isn’t going to go to the Moon, right?” Rubio told the AP. “This will be about 1% of your experience. What you’re doing is contributing to the mission to go to the Moon.”
This will be NASA’s 25th class of astronauts since the first Mercury Seven in 1959.
___
Associated Press health and science coverage receives financial support from AP Fund for Journalism and private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP standards to work with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas on AP.org.
Gn tech
