NASA is looking for the next generation of astronauts to live and work on the Moon | NASA

NASA has launched a call for a new generation of astronauts as it searches for explorers who can live and work on the Moon.

Opening applications for the latest expansion of its Artemis program, the US agency said successful applicants 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 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 the NASA astronaut corps,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “The people we select could walk on the Moon, live and work at the lunar base, and help develop the systems and operations that will ultimately transport crews to Mars. »

NASA plans to make its final selection at the end of 2027 to begin training the next class of astronaut candidates. The agency last opened applications for new astronauts in 2024, finally accepting 10 new astronauts from 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 chairman of the astronaut selection committee at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “This is an opportunity to join a legacy of explorers who have pushed the boundaries of discovery and who are playing a role in missions that will shape humanity’s future in space.”

Since the 1960s, NASA has selected 370 people to train as astronaut candidates for increasingly difficult missions. The agency currently has 32 active astronauts in the Astronaut Corps.

Isaacman and other agency leaders recently outlined NASA’s ambitions to return Americans to the Moon in 2028. SpaceX and Blue Origin both intend to support a crewed landing on the Moon.

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

Three years of “related work experience” is also required.

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

Applicants have until Thursday, December 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET to submit their application.