Help Wanted on the Moon: NASA Is Hiring Astronauts for Its First Base

NASA opened applications Nov. 7 for an astronaut class tied to its south-pole Moon base. They close Dec. 3, with picks by late 2027 and training in early 2028 (secondary report via a KTVU wire story).

TL;DR

NASA is hiring astronauts for its first Moon base. On Nov. 7 the agency opened applications for its next astronaut class, and this time the call is tied to the base near the Moon's south pole rather than to the space station. Applications close Dec. 3, NASA plans to pick its recruits by late 2027, and training starts in early 2028, the same year NASA hopes to put astronauts back on the Moon for the first time since 1972. Anyone who is a U.S. citizen with a master's degree in science, technology, engineering or math, or certain other qualifications, can apply. The account comes from a wire story, not from NASA's own page. A Moon base used to be a drawing; it now has a job posting with a deadline. To see our odds on when someone from this class walks on the Moon, and the timeline of breakthroughs that leads there, subscribe.

Below the line, for paid subscribers: The full story: where it stands, how we got here and what's dated next; our labeled speculation on what it adds up to; and every source.