NASA is hiring astronauts; applications close Dec. 3 and the job pays $164,395
A STEM master's degree, a medical degree or test pilot school can qualify you. Last time, more than 8,000 people applied and 10 were picked.
NASA is taking applications for its next class of astronauts, the agency announced in a Nov. 7 news release. U.S. citizens have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Thursday, Dec. 3, which is 8:59 p.m. in San Jose, to apply through the federal hiring site USAJOBS.
The odds are long. NASA's last call, in 2024, drew more than 8,000 applications, and it picked 10, about 1 in 800 by our arithmetic. The agency expects to choose the new class in late 2027.
Who can apply
Applicants must be U.S. citizens and need one of these:
- A master's degree in engineering, biological or physical science, computer science or another STEM field.
- At least two years toward a doctorate in a technical field.
- A medical degree, including doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners.
- Test pilot school, finished by July 2027, plus a STEM bachelor's degree.
They also need at least three years of related work after that degree. Pilots can qualify with flight time instead, for example 750 hours in command of high-performance jets. Candidates must pass NASA's long-duration spaceflight physical. You don't have to be a pilot.
The job
The USAJOBS posting lists pay of $164,395 a year at 2026 rates, based at Johnson Space Center in Houston, with travel 76% of the time or more. New candidates get a 30-month term appointment and become permanent after about two years of training in spacewalking, robotics, lunar geology and flying high-performance jets.
NASA has picked 370 astronaut candidates since the 1960s and has 32 active astronauts. The release says the new class could walk on the Moon and work at the Moon Base NASA plans near the lunar South Pole, about 239,000 miles away.
Source: NASA news release, "NASA Seeks Next Generation of Explorers to Join Astronaut Corps" (Nov. 7, 2026); USAJOBS, "Astronaut Candidate" posting NASA-13093568-27-AS; NASA, "Become an Astronaut"; NASA Science, "Moon Facts". Drafted by AI for San Jose using NASA source material. NASA did not write or review this story.