NASA Astronaut Application 2026: Requirements, Pay, Deadline

NASA is hiring astronauts again, and this time the job description says "Moon Base" in plain print. The agency opened its 2026 astronaut application on Saturday, Nov. 7, and by Sunday "NASA astronaut application 2026" and "NASA astronaut salary" were sitting near the top of Google's autocomplete suggestions.

The window is short. Applications close Dec. 3, less than four weeks after they opened. The bar is high, and the posting on USAJOBS, the federal government's job site, is far more specific than the press release about who gets screened out. Here's what's in it.

What NASA announced

In its Nov. 7 news release, NASA said the new class will join as the country returns to the Moon, builds a lunar base and prepares for the first crewed trips to Mars. Administrator Jared Isaacman said the people chosen "could walk on the Moon" and help build the systems that eventually carry crews to Mars.

This is NASA's first open call since 2024. That round drew more than 8,000 applications, and 10 candidates were named in September 2025. They are still working through roughly two years of training. NASA has 32 active astronauts, a small corps for an agency planning repeated lunar landings. The Associated Press noted that April's Artemis II flight around the Moon kicked off the current lunar campaign.

NASA astronaut application 2026: the deadline and how to apply

The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026. Everything goes through the USAJOBS listing (announcement NASA-13093568-27-AS). Mailed or emailed materials won't be considered.

A complete application needs:

• A long-form resume or CV. The usual two-page USAJOBS limit doesn't apply, but every job needs month-and-year dates and weekly hours.
• Every STEM-related transcript from a bachelor's degree up. Official or unofficial copies are fine at this stage.
• Five references, entered in the questionnaire, including your most recent supervisor.
• A Pilot Qualifications Form if you have any flight experience at all.
• The online questionnaire and assessment.

Some applicants will then get a link to the USA Hire online tests. NASA says to set aside about two and a half hours for them, and they must be done within 48 hours of the announcement closing. Letters of recommendation and copies of diplomas aren't wanted, and anyone who applied in 2024 has to start over.

NASA astronaut requirements: who qualifies

You must be a U.S. citizen. Beyond that, there are two hurdles, education and experience, and you need to clear both by Dec. 3.

Education

The standard route is a master's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or math from an accredited school. Three alternatives also count:

• At least two years (36 semester hours) of a STEM doctoral program.
• A medical degree, including MD, DO, physician assistant, doctor of nursing practice or family nurse practitioner.
• Finishing, or being enrolled in, a recognized Test Pilot School program that wraps up by July 2027, plus a STEM bachelor's degree.

The listing also names degrees that look close but don't count. Engineering technology and aviation technology are out. So are aviation and aviation management, exercise physiology, social sciences such as geography and anthropology, and psychology, except for clinical, physiological and experimental psychology.

Experience

Applicants need at least three years of progressively responsible professional work after their qualifying degree, and they choose one of seven tracks: pilot, flight test, medical, biological and medical science, physical science, engineering, or operations. K-12 teaching in a technical subject can count.

Pilots can substitute flight hours. That means 750 hours as pilot in command of high-performance jets, 1,500 total hours in other fixed-wing aircraft with 750 in command, or 1,000 helicopter hours with 300 in command.

The operations track is the one that may surprise people. It covers work in high-risk settings where mistakes can't be undone, and NASA's examples include saturation or cave diving, launch and mission control, nuclear submarine duty, rescue work and special operations.

Health and fitness

Vision must be correctable to 20/20 in each eye, and glasses, LASIK and PRK are allowed. Candidates have to pass NASA's long-duration flight physical, a fitness test before hiring and a swim test in the first month.

How much do NASA astronauts make?

The USAJOBS posting lists astronaut candidate pay at $164,395 a year, based on 2026 federal pay tables. NASA says that will be adjusted for any raises in 2027 or 2028, and later increases are tied to training and mission milestones. Relocation costs to Houston can be reimbursed.

Candidates start on a 30-month term appointment. Those who finish training move to permanent jobs.

What the job actually asks of you

The fine print is blunt. Candidates must be willing to spend up to seven hours a day in a pressurized spacesuit underwater, fly up to 16 hours a day during flight training and deploy to space for 12 months or longer. Travel takes up 76% or more of the job, remote work isn't allowed during training, and leave can be denied during key periods.

There's also no promise of a ride. NASA says mission assignments depend on factors outside its control and wait times are unknown. Until they're assigned, astronauts work in the astronaut office, which can mean serving as capsule communicator in Mission Control or advising on new spacecraft. Training covers spacewalks, robotics, spacecraft systems, team skills, technical courses with commercial partners such as SpaceX and, depending on the mission, Russian.

When will NASA pick the new class?

Not soon. USAJOBS estimates the selection process will take about a year, with in-person interviews, simulations and medical and psychiatric screening for finalists. NASA expects to announce the class in fall 2027, and the new candidates should report to Johnson Space Center in Houston in the winter of 2027-28.

Status updates will be sparse along the way. NASA says only people invited to interviews will get feedback, so most applicants should expect a long silence after Dec. 3. Given the last round's odds of 10 picks from more than 8,000 applicants, it pays to read the whole announcement before starting.