NASA Opens Applications for Astronauts to Work on the Moon, Deadline Dec. 3
NASA opened applications for its next astronaut class on Saturday, November 7. Selected candidates could live and work at a future Moon Base. Applicants must be U.S. citizens with a STEM master's degree or equivalent, and the starting salary is $164,395.
NASA is looking for astronauts to work on the Moon, and the U.S. space agency opened applications for its next astronaut class on Saturday. U.S. citizens have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, December 3, to submit materials.
Selected candidates would train to operate on the lunar surface and could live and work at a future Moon Base, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement. The starting salary is $164,395.
Who can apply
Applicants must be U.S. citizens with a master's degree in a STEM field, such as engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics. NASA sets no official age limit. It also requires at least three years of related professional experience after the qualifying degree.
There is a recent change. Master's-level nursing degrees now meet the minimum education requirement. "Nursing degrees are now included in the STEM definition," NASA spokesperson Anna Schneider said on Sunday. They were previously excluded.
The master's requirement can also be met in other ways:
Two years of work toward a STEM doctoral program counts. So does a medical degree, including Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Physician Assistant, Doctor of Nursing Practice or Family Nurse Practitioner. Test Pilot School graduates qualify if the program finishes by July 2027.
Pilots can meet the experience rule with 750 hours as pilot in command of high-performance jets. Other fixed-wing pilots need 1,500 total flight hours, including 750 as pilot in command.
Odds and timeline
The odds are long. NASA's last call drew more than 8,000 applications, and 10 candidates were selected in 2025. They are still completing nearly two years of training.
NASA has 32 active astronauts and has selected 370 people for astronaut training since the 1960s. It expects to make its final selection in late 2027. Chosen candidates will then train for two years.
"This is an extraordinary time to join NASA's astronaut corps," Isaacman said. "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 Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson put it more bluntly: "The window is open. The mission is waiting."
The Moon plan
NASA wants to return humans to the Moon in 2028, the first time since 1972. It is relying on private companies including Blue Origin and SpaceX to develop systems and spacecraft.
At a November 7 press conference on the Artemis III moon mission, Isaacman said he is "very confident" the mission will launch in 2027.
