The news was announced by officials on Saturday during a Kennedy Space Center air show promoting lunar exploration as well as advances in aviation and technology.
Recruits will join Nasa as it embarks on one of its most ambitious periods ever, with the Artemis programme aiming to put humans on the Moon, build a lunar base and begin work towards the first crewed missions to Mars in the coming years.
The astronauts will “train to operate on the lunar surface, live and work beyond Earth, and take on missions that will push the boundaries of human exploration farther than ever before”, Nasa said in its ad.
But, to get there, aspiring astronauts will have to go through a difficult selection process.
Applicants must be US citizens, have a master’s degree in a STEM field or professional experiencing including medical training or flying, and then pass a series of tests including a physical that checks their ability to withstand long space flight, as well as their “leadership, teamwork, and communication skills”.
It has been two years since Nasa last sought new astronauts. More than 8,000 people applied on that occasion, and 10 made the final cut in September 2025.
This time around, the successful applicants will be chosen in late 2027 and will then begin training as the next class of astronaut candidates.
Anyone hoping to join the new class has between now and 3 December to submit an application.
Nasa has recruited 370 people – in all – to its astronaut programme since the 1960s. There are currently 32 active members of the astronaut corps.
“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.
“Those missions will demand technical excellence, sound judgment, teamwork, and courage. NASA’s astronaut corps has always called on remarkable Americans willing to take on extraordinary challenges in service to the nation.”
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