Nasa seeks next generation of astronauts to live and work on the moon

Nasa has launched a callout for a new generation of astronauts as it searches for explorers who could live and work on the moon.

Opening applications for the latest expansion of its Artemis program, the US agency said successful candidates would help “shape humanity’s future in space” as it builds a base on the moon and plans the first crewed missions to Mars.

The news was announced on Saturday during a Kennedy Space Center air show promoting lunar exploration, as well as advances in aviation and technology.

“This is an extraordinary time to join Nasa’s astronaut corps,” said Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman. “The people we select could walk on the Moon, live and work at the Moon Base, and help pioneer the systems and operations that will ultimately carry crews to Mars.”

Nasa expects to make its final selection in late 2027 to begin training the next class of astronaut candidates. The agency last opened applications for new astronauts in 2024, ultimately accepting 10 new astronauts out of more than 8,000 applicants in September 2025.

“For those who apply, becoming a Nasa astronaut is more than a career opportunity,” said Scott Tingle, chief astronaut and chair of the Astronaut Selection Board at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “It is a chance to join a legacy of explorers who have pushed the boundaries of discovery and play a role in the missions that will shape humanity’s future in space.”

Since the 1960s, Nasa has selected 370 people to train as astronaut candidates for increasingly challenging missions. The agency currently has 32 astronauts active in the astronaut corps.

Isaacman and other agency leaders recently laid out Nasa’s ambitions to return Americans to the moon in 2028. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin intend to support a crewed lunar landing.

All applicants must be US citizens, Nasa said, and have either a master’s degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics; medical qualifications; training as a pilot; or two years’ work on a relevant doctoral program.

Three years of “related professional experience” are also required.

Applying pilots must have either 750 hours of pilot-in-command time of a high-performance jet, 1,500 total flight hours in another fixed-wing aircraft, or 1,000 total flight hours in a rotary-wing aircraft.

Applicants have until 11.59pm ET on Thursday, 3 December, to submit their applications.