# NASA opens astronaut recruitment for Moon base missions

> NASA is accepting applications for astronauts who will live and work on the Moon in a future base, with selection highly competitive and training lasting two years.
- Title: NASA opens astronaut recruitment for Moon base missions · NPR
- Summary: NASA is accepting applications for astronauts who will live and work on the Moon in a future base, with selection highly competitive and training lasting two…
- Keywords: nasa, astronauts, the moon, artemis iii, space exploration, lunar base, NPR
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/11/08/nx-s1-6034002/nasa-astronaut-class-applications-2026
- Published: 2026-11-08T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: nasa, astronauts, the moon, artemis iii, space exploration, lunar base, news
## NASA seeks Moon base astronauts
NASA is accepting applications for astronauts who will not only test spacecraft but also live and work on the Moon in a future moon base, according to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

> Those missions will demand technical excellence, sound judgment, teamwork, and courage.
## Selection is extremely competitive
Out of more than eight thousand applicants for NASA's last astronaut class, only ten candidates were selected. NASA currently has thirty two active astronauts in its corps.
## Education and experience requirements
Applicants need a master's degree in a STEM-related field such as engineering or math, plus a minimum of three years of related professional experience. Nursing degrees now qualify as STEM.

> Master's-level nursing degrees now meet the minimum educational requirement, whereas nursing degrees were previously excluded.
## Training and mission timeline
Selected astronauts will undergo two years of training to prepare for critical missions such as landing near the Moon's South Pole. NASA aims to return humans to the Moon in twenty twenty eight.
## Application deadline and salary
The starting salary is one hundred sixty four thousand three hundred ninety five dollars. Applications will be received through December third. Any U.S. citizen can apply with no official age restriction.
## Key takeaway

NASA is recruiting astronauts to live and work on the Moon as part of its Artemis III mission, aiming to return humans to the lunar surface in 2028.