NASA Officially Opens Astronaut Applications For Future Space Missions

NASA has officially started accepting applications for its next batch of astronauts. Those accepted in the agency’s astronaut program will get the chance to participate in space missions to the Moon or International Space Station.

NASA kicked off the application process by posting a new ad on the U.S. government’s job portal site. According to the job ad, the agency will accept applications from March 2 until March 31 this year.

As indicated in the ad, those who will be accepted into the astronaut program could earn around $105,000 to $161,000 a year. Once selected, the participants will be required to relocate to NASA’s facility in Houston, Texas, where they will undergo two years of basic astronaut training.

Once they have completed the training phase, they will join the active astronaut corps, making them eligible for spaceflight missions. While waiting for missions, those in the active corps will work in NASA’s astronaut offices to provide support to current space projects and activities.

As fully-fledged astronauts, individuals can expect to participate in NASA’s various space programs. This includes future manned missions to the Moon under the agency’s latest spaceflight program, Artemis. New astronauts will also get the chance to work on the ISS and help develop new spacecraft technology for NASA.

In addition, those who will be accepted into the program will serve as official representatives of the space agency.

“Serving as the public face of NASA, providing appearances across the country and internationally, and sharing NASA's discoveries and goals,” NASA stated in the job ad.

Of course, before being selected for the astronaut program, applicants must first meet the requirements for the position. According to NASA, the astronaut candidate must be a U.S. citizen who has completed the agency’s Basic Education Requirement.

Aside from these, NASA will only accept applicants who have extensive flight experience.

“Applying to the Astronaut Candidate program is a multi-stage process. Initially, you will be evaluated based on how well you meet the minimum qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement,” NASA stated.

“Your minimum qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the responses you provide to the online application, which assess critical requirements of the astronaut job.”