Want to fly to the moon? NASA is looking for new astronauts to help grow its Artemis program

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Want to fly to the moon and help build a permanent lunar base ? NASA is accepting applications for a new astronaut class that will help grow the Artemis program.

Officials announced the news Saturday during a Kennedy Space Center air show promoting lunar exploration as well as advances in aviation and technology.

NASA’s last call for new astronauts was two years ago. More than 8,000 applied, with 10 making the final cut in September 2025.

With only 32 active astronauts, the space agency needs more recruits as it looks to expand humanity’s presence beyond low-Earth orbit as quickly as possible. April's lunar flyaround by the Artemis II crew kicked off the lunar campaign.

“We have far more work than we have astronauts,” Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Aspiring astronauts have between now and Dec. 3 to submit their applications. NASA expects to make its final selection by late 2027, with the new candidates beginning their training by early 2028 — the same year that NASA intends to return astronauts to the lunar surface after an absence of more than half a century.

By then “we're going to have people on the moon — so don't delay," Bresnik urged potential candidates.

Bresnik and his three crewmates will blast into orbit next summer to practice docking their capsule with a pair of lunar landers, one built by Elon Musk's SpaceX and the other by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Their mission will stick close to Earth — no lunar flyby — and serve as a dress rehearsal for the following year's Artemis IV mission that will attempt to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole.

The moon base will materialize as more rovers, robots, structures and power grids are launched.

Patience is essential for becoming an astronaut, noted Artemis III's Frank Rubio, whose 371 consecutive days in space is a U.S. endurance record. Candidates must also be U.S. citizens with college degrees and professional work experience.

The two years of mandatory training can be grueling, and it could take another several years on top of that before finally rocketing into space.

“It's important for them to realize most of that work is not going to the moon, right?" Rubio told the AP. “That will be about 1% of your experience. What you're doing is contributing to the mission of going to the moon.”

This will be NASA's 25th astronaut class since the original Mercury Seven in 1959.

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