NASA began recruiting new astronauts on Saturday, November 7, 2026, to staff a projected lunar base and prepare for eventual human missions to Mars. The recruitment drive, announced during the MAX POWER aerospace exhibition at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, targets a new generation of explorers capable of living and working on the lunar surface. The agency intends to train these individuals to operate outside of Earth and establish the necessary conditions for long-term human presence on Mars.
NASA recruitment window closes December 3
United States citizens have until December 3, 2026, to submit applications through the official NASA website. Following the application period, the agency expects to announce its final selection of candidates by the end of 2027. Once selected, this new cohort will begin formal training in early 2028, the same year NASA aims to return humans to the lunar surface via the Artemis program.
Do you want to be an astronaut? Applications are now open to join NASA's astronaut corps. Join us as we expand the frontiers of discovery in low Earth orbit, on the Moon, and beyond — apply by Dec. 3: https://t.co/laY2ExWiGO pic.twitter.com/GzZl3yRy0i
The agency currently maintains an active team of 32 astronauts.
STEM degrees and professional experience required
Applicants must hold a postgraduate degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited institution. Acceptable fields include biological sciences, physical sciences, or computer science. The agency requires at least three years of relevant professional work experience after completing the required studies. Pilots may qualify through an alternative path involving flight hours as a pilot in command. Candidates must also pass a medical examination. There are also specialized requirements for those aspiring to serve as space doctors or pilots.
The selection process is highly competitive. During the previous recruitment cycle in 2024, NASA received more than 8,000 applications and chose only 10 candidates. Those 2024 selections are currently finishing a nearly two-year training program.
Infrastructure development via the PROMISE vehicle
The recruitment effort aligns with technical milestones for establishing a permanent presence on the Moon. LaPatilla reported that NASA awarded Blue Origin a base contract worth $94 million to transport a nuclear-powered explorer named PROMISE to the lunar south pole in 2028. This vehicle will conduct an 18-month mission to analyze the surface and subsurface, identifying landing sites and resource availability for future human habitation. “We are building the lunar base mission by mission,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated during the conference.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California is building the PROMISE rover using a combination of flight components and engineering models from the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers. This nuclear propulsion allows the vehicle to operate during long lunar nights and within permanently shadowed regions where ice is suspected to exist. The six-wheeled explorer will analyze the potential of resources to assist in selecting landing sites for crewed missions and future infrastructure activities.
Expansion of the CLPS program
NASA is also scaling its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. LaPatilla noted that the agency has selected eight companies to participate in the second phase of this program, which is a 10-year, multiple-award indefinite-delivery contract with a maximum combined value of $10 billion. The participating companies include:
- Blue Origin
- SpaceX
- Firefly Aerospace
- Intuitive Machines
- iSpace US
- Lockheed Martin Space
- Northrop Grumman Space Systems
- Voyager Technologies
Strategic foundation for Mars exploration
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated during the Kennedy Space Center event that the selected individuals could help pioneer the systems and operations required to eventually send crews to Mars. “When our astronauts return to the Moon, they will find the first elements of the lunar base already waiting for them on the surface,” Isaacman said, according to LaPatilla.
The agency’s current strategy involves missions of progressive difficulty near the lunar south pole to maximize exploration of the satellite’s surface. This approach supports the Artemis program, which successfully sent the first crew to lunar orbit in over 50 years this past April.
