NASA accepting astronaut applications until December 3

NASA is recruiting a new astronaut-candidate class as the United States prepares to return to the Moon, establish a Moon Base, and pursue crewed missions to Mars. Applicants would train for work on the lunar surface and for living and operating beyond Earth, helping develop the skills and systems needed for increasingly ambitious exploration. NASA emphasizes that the missions will require technical expertise, sound judgment, teamwork, and courage, and frames astronaut service as both a demanding career and a chance to inspire future explorers.

U.S. citizens must submit completed applications by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, December 3, 2026. NASA expects to announce its selections in late 2027. The previous application round, in 2024, drew more than 8,000 applicants; 10 candidates were selected in 2025 and are now completing nearly two years of training. The new candidates would join a corps that has selected 370 people for astronaut training since the 1960s, and could take part in missions that shape NASA’s lunar plans and prepare for human travel to Mars.