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For the first time in two years, NASA is opening applications for its next astronaut class. Announcing the call at the Max Power event at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), NASA said this will be one of its most important classes yet, with the new astronauts training for low Earth orbit (LEO), lunar surface operations and future Artemis missions.
According to NASA’s website, only 370 people have been selected as NASA astronaut candidates (ASCANs) since the original Mercury 7 were announced in 1959.
This will be the 25th astronaut class selected in that time. Applications are open until 3 December 2026, with the selection expected in late 2027.
The most recent class, NASA’s 24th, was announced in 2025 and consisted of ten new ASCANs. It also marked the first time that women outnumbered men in a NASA astronaut class.
Each new astronaut group is given a nickname by the previous class. Astronaut Class 23 named the 2025 group the “Platypi”. It is not yet known what nickname the incoming class will receive.
/>Members of the 24th astronaut class talk with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman during a training session. (Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)
One of the Platypi is Dr Anna Menon, who became the first NASA astronaut candidate to have already flown to space on a commercial mission, Polaris Dawn.
“I pinched myself when I found out that I got to join this class and get to return to the team here at NASA,” Menon said in a January 2026 interview with NSF following her selection.
According to NASA, applicants must be US citizens and hold a master’s degree in a STEM field.
They also need at least three years of related professional experience gained after completing that degree. Pilots can instead qualify with at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time, with at least 850 of those hours in high-performance jet aircraft.
All applicants must also be able to pass the NASA long-duration spaceflight astronaut physical.
The master’s degree requirement can be met instead by two years of work towards a STEM doctorate, a completed medical degree, or completion of an accredited test pilot school programme.
Applications must be submitted through the listing on USAJobs.gov.
/>The ten new ASCANs at their public announcement. (Credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas)
The call for applications follows comments from Isaacman on NSF’s The Flame Trench that he is considering extending the life of the ISS beyond 2030 if a commercial replacement is not ready.
NASA will continue to send astronauts to the ISS and to future commercial stations, all of which will need crews.
NASA is also planning a base on the lunar surface, and says the new astronauts will be prepared to fly on lunar missions.
Asked what advice she would give others, especially those thinking of applying to become astronauts, Menon said it is all about following your passion.
“And I think that would be my piece of advice…pay attention to what you love and what you are good at and pursue that with a vengeance because what I have found is that when you do that, things tend to fall into place,” Menon said. “You tend to be most productive and fulfilled and able to contribute to the world around you in wherever life leads you.”
Lead image: The ten astronauts selected as part of NASA’s 24th astronaut class. (Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)
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