NASA Opens Astronaut Applications for Artemis Moon Missions, Here's Who Can Apply

NASA is accepting applications for its next class of astronauts, and US citizens have until 11:59 p.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 3 to submit their materials. The job is posted as Astronaut Candidate at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. To qualify you need United States citizenship and a master's degree in a STEM field or one of several accepted alternatives, plus at least three years of related professional experience after completing their qualifying degree. The people selected could live and work at the Moon Base, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, and NASA plans to send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions near the lunar South Pole. For Metaintro readers, the flight hours, eyesight standard and degree rules are written out in full on the job listing, so you can check your fit before you apply.

What Did NASA Open on Nov. 7, and When Is the Deadline?

The call went out in NASA release 26-093, dated Nov 07, 2026. The news came on Saturday during a Kennedy Space Center air show promoting lunar exploration, aviation and technology. Applications go through the federal hiring site, where the announcement number is NASA-13093568-27-AS.

The deadline is set. Your full package must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the closing date of the announcement, and you must meet all qualification requirements by then, with Test Pilot School and medical residency completion by July 2027 as the only exceptions.

This is a fresh round, not an extension of the last one. NASA last opened applications in 2024, and anyone who applied before must start over, because all previous applicants MUST reapply and complete the entire application process. If you read the NASA Is Hiring guide from that earlier round, use the new posting as the rulebook, since nursing degrees now count toward the education rule.

Who Can Apply for the Astronaut Candidate Job?

Citizenship comes first. The job is open to all U.S. Citizens, and there is no official age restriction. The education rule is a master's degree in a STEM field, including engineering, biological science, physical science, or computer science from an accredited institution.

You can meet the education requirement through ONE of the methods on the posting. Here they are in full:

• Master's degree. A master's degree (or foreign equivalent) in an accredited college or university with major study in an appropriate technical field of engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics.
• Doctoral coursework. At least two academic years (36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours) in an accredited Ph.D. or related doctoral degree program (or foreign equivalent) in one of those same fields.
• Medical degree. A Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Physician Assistant (PA), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), or related medical degree (or foreign equivalent) from an accredited college or university.
• Test Pilot School. You must have completed or be currently enrolled in a TPS program (nationally or internationally recognized) and will have completed this program by July 2027. If TPS is your only advanced technical degree, you also need a bachelor's degree or higher (or foreign equivalent) with major study in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics.

Master's-level nursing degrees now meet the minimum educational requirement, where nursing degrees were previously excluded, NASA spokesperson Anna Schneider told NPR on Sunday. Nurse practitioners weighing the move can compare it with civilian pay in our nurse practitioner salary guide.

Nursing degrees are now included in the STEM definition, NASA spokesperson Anna Schneider said, according to the NPR report on the new class.

Which Degrees Do Not Qualify for the Astronaut Job?

Some degrees that sound technical are ruled out. These degrees are NOT considered qualifying:

• Degrees in Technology (Engineering Technology, Aviation Technology, Medical Technology, etc.)
• Degrees in Psychology, with an exception for Clinical Psychology, Physiological Psychology, or Experimental Psychology, which do qualify
• Degrees in Exercise Physiology or similar fields
• Degrees in Social Sciences (Geography, Anthropology, Archaeology, etc.)
• Degrees in Aviation, Aviation Management, or similar fields

A bachelor's degree alone does not get you in. In plain terms, a bachelor's degree (or less) is not qualifying alone, though you still must submit ALL STEM related transcripts with your application. Your school must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Degrees earned abroad can count. Qualifying international Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is allowed if you send proof of foreign education equivalency. That proof means the credentials were evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs, and translated STEM related transcripts (official or unofficial) are required.

How Much Experience Do You Need, and Which Discipline Do You Pick?

Unless you apply as a pilot, that experience must be progressively responsible professional experience gained after completing their qualifying degree. Experience after a bachelor's degree counts, provided they eventually earned the required higher degree. K-12 teaching experience in a related technical field is acceptable if you also meet the education rule.

You may only select ONE discipline group to apply under. The groups on the posting are Pilot, Flight Test, Medical, Biological and Medical Science, Physical Science, Engineering and Operations. Operations covers people from high-consequence environments that require real-time decision making and intensive teamwork, such as saturation or mixed-gas deep sea or cave diving, orbital or launch mission control, nuclear submarine operations, rescue operations, or special operations with direct action. Applicants with test experience who have not attended Test Pilot School should apply under this category.

Pilots meet the experience rule with flight time instead. The hours are:

• High-performance jet aircraft: 750 hours of pilot-in-command time
• Other fixed-wing aircraft: 1,500 total flight hours, including 750 hours as pilot in command
• Rotary-wing aircraft: 1,000 total flight hours, including 300 hours as pilot in command

The Flight Test group requires TPS completion/enrollment (finished by July 2027) PLUS 3 years of related flight test experience and is open to people with aviation experience outside the Pilot list, such as flight test engineers, navigators and weapons systems officers.

Initial flight training hours will not be counted, and drone time does not count either. Doctors get some credit for training, since residency training may count toward the professional experience requirement and must be completed by July 2027. Waivers are not granted for degree or experience requirements.

What Does the Astronaut Job Pay, and Where Is It Based?

The job pays $164,395 a year. That figure is an estimate, because the pay rates shown reflect the 2026 pay schedules and are an approximation, and the rates will be adjusted to reflect any increase in 2027/8. The job is on the AD pay scale, with pay increases tied to training and mission-specific milestones.

The job is based at Johnson Space Ctr, Houston, TX, and you may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses under agency policy. Travel is set at 76% or greater of the time, listed as Extensive travel required, including travel globally for long periods to train with international partners.

The appointment type is Term, and candidates go on 30-month time limited appointments and, after successfully completing candidate training, will be placed on permanent appointments. The role sits in the Excepted Service, needs a Confidential security clearance, and requires financial disclosure. Federal benefits come with it, and our guide on why government jobs and their benefits compare well with private employers explains what that package usually covers.

What Physical and Personal Demands Come With the Job?

The fitness bar is spelled out. Candidates must pass NASA's long-duration astronaut flight physical. Eyesight must be correctable to 20/20 in each eye, and glasses and refractive surgeries like PRK/LASIK are allowed. You also must pass an Agency Physical Fitness Test prior to employment.

Water work starts early. Candidates must pass a swimming test in the first month and accept long stretches underwater, up to 2 hours/day SCUBA diving or up to 7 hours/day in a pressurized spacesuit/EMU. Candidates also take part in flight readiness training, including spending extended time (up to 16 hours/day) piloting/flying, and for that training prior flight experience is not required, but willingness to train is.

The lifestyle terms are blunt. You must be willing to deploy to space for 12 months or longer, and you must accept that a mission assignment is not guaranteed. Personal and family leave may be denied during specific training and operational periods, and remote work is not permitted during initial and assigned mission training. Selectees also face a pre-employment drug screen and random testing.

Those missions will demand technical excellence, sound judgment, teamwork, and courage, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, according to the NASA news release.

How Does the Application and Selection Process Work?

You apply through the USAJOBS Astronaut Candidate listing, with background on the agency's Become an Astronaut page. Your package needs a long form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV) showing relevant experience, the online assessment and questionnaire, and your STEM transcripts. The usual two-page resume limitation does not apply here.

Some details trip people up. Your resume should clearly state the hours worked per week to show full-time status, meaning 35 or more hours, every entry needs corresponding dates (month/year), and you will be asked for five references when requested in the assessment questionnaire, including your most recent supervisor. Applicants with any flight experience are asked to attach the Pilot Qualifications Form, and it is a requirement for the Pilot and Flight Test groups. Leave out diplomas and recommendation letters, since applicants should not upload copies of diplomas, letters of recommendation.

You may also be asked to take online tests. Set aside at least 2.5 hours to take the USA Hire assessments, which may be completed at any time throughout the announcement open period. Under the current schedule, the assessment window will close on the same day applications close. The posting warns that cheating or use of SI (Super Intelligence) will result in removal from consideration. Veterans' preference documents are not collected yet, and NASA intends to apply veterans' preference among candidates in later stages.

Later rounds happen in person. The Astronaut Selection Board invites a small group for interviews at Johnson, and about half are invited back for second interviews. If interviews are new territory for you, our federal job interview guide walks through common federal interview questions and strategies.

When Will NASA Pick the Next Class, and How Many Get In?

NASA expects to make its final selection in late 2027, and the selection process is estimated to take approximately one (1) year, with a new class announced in the Fall of 2027. Selected candidates are expected to report for duty at the Johnson Space Center in the Winter of 2027/8.

The odds are long. In the last round, 10 astronaut candidates were selected in 2025 from more than 8,000 applications, and that class was unveiled on Sept. 22, 2025. The 2025 class included test pilots, engineers, medical professionals, a geologist, and more. No target class size is given this time, and the only line on numbers is that multiple selections may be made.

The corps itself is small. There are currently 32 active astronauts, and NASA has selected 370 people to train as astronaut candidates since the 1960s. The first group of seven men, all pilots, was picked in 1959, and NASA has selected 23 more groups of astronauts since.

What Will New Astronaut Candidates Train For?

Candidates spend approximately two years training on skills from spacewalking and robotics to leadership and teamwork skills. Candidates spend that time learning skills like operating the space station, flying T-38 jet planes and controlling a robotic arm. Depending on the mission, training can include Russian language training.

The duties go well beyond flying. Duties include work to conduct operations in space, including Low Earth Orbit, the Moon, and beyond, ground support tasks such as CapCom in Mission Control, and appearances as the public face of NASA. Until they fly, astronauts handle tasks from supporting their fellow astronauts in space to advising on the development of new spacecraft.

The bigger program sets the stakes. NASA aims to return humans to the moon in 2028. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin intend to support a crewed lunar landing. Selected applicants will study spacewalking, lunar geology, operations of high-performance aircraft, and more.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

This posting rewards people who are already deep in a technical career, not people hoping to start one. A qualifying advanced degree or Test Pilot School, the post-degree work or the pilot flight hours, and a passed physical are the floor set by the Astronaut Candidate job listing, and the last round showed how crowded that floor gets. The upside is that the rules are public and exact, so you can rule yourself in or out before the deadline without guessing.

The degree list goes beyond engineering and science. Physician assistants, family nurse practitioners and nurses with a DNP sit on the same medical degree list as doctors, and the Operations group gives divers, mission controllers and rescue crews as examples of post-degree experience in high-consequence work. The posting asks for corresponding dates (month/year) and weekly hours for every role, so write each entry as evidence.

• Check the hard rules tonight. Citizenship, the degree list, the excluded degrees and post-degree work are pass or fail, with no waivers.
• Pick your one discipline with care. You can only select ONE discipline group, so match it to your strongest post-degree record.
• Order transcripts now. You must submit ALL STEM related transcripts, and foreign degrees need proof of appropriate foreign education equivalency.
• Build the long-form CV. List weekly hours, month and year for every role, and line up your references.
• Submit early. It is to your benefit to apply early, so you have time to finish both the application and the online assessments.

Lacey Kaelani, our CEO, puts it this way: A job ad this detailed is a gift, so treat every line as a checklist and let your resume prove each one with dates and results.

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People Also Asked

Q: What is the deadline to apply to be a NASA astronaut?

A: Applications close at 11:59 p.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 3, and the complete package must be in on the USAJOBS posting by then.

Q: How much does a NASA astronaut candidate earn?

A: The salary is $164,395 per year, an approximation based on the 2026 pay schedules.

Q: Can nurses apply to become NASA astronauts?

A: Yes, NASA spokesperson Anna Schneider told NPR that master's-level nursing degrees now meet the minimum educational requirement, and the medical degree route covers a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and similar degrees.

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