NASA Reopens Astronaut Hiring: 8,000 Applicants, 10 Hired Last Time

NASA received more than 8,000 applications in its last astronaut search and hired exactly 10 people — an acceptance rate near 0.1%. On Saturday, the agency opened applications for its next astronaut candidate class, the first such search since 2024, with a stated salary of $164,395 per year and a screening pipeline that few employer recruiting funnels could survive.

The opening frames a hiring campaign tied to concrete mission goals: flights to the lunar South Pole and, potentially, Mars. The agency described the period ahead as a "Golden Age of innovation and exploration." For HR observers, the announcement is less about spaceflight than about what an employer does when the job is genuinely exceptional — and when the selection ratio is one hire per 800 applicants.

What does the job require?

The stated bar is high by any screening standard. Candidates must hold US citizenship, a completed master's degree in a STEM field, or an equivalent background such as a medical degree, doctoral work, or test-pilot training. On top of that, applicants need three full years of relevant professional experience.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman set out the stakes in the announcement. "The people we select could walk on the Moon, live and work at the Moon Base, and help pioneer the systems and operations that will ultimately carry crews to Mars," he said in a press release.

That promise carries a caveat the agency does not spell out: lunar and Mars missions remain prospective, and the candidate class will spend years in preparation before anyone flies. The posting itself acknowledges the long runway — two years of training before operational assignment.

How does NASA define the ideal candidate?

Anna Schneider, a NASA Public Affairs Specialist, described the competency profile in a statement. "NASA seeks astronaut candidates who represent the best of American ingenuity, skill, and determination," she said. "They must demonstrate strong technical expertise, operational judgment, leadership, teamwork, communication skills, and the ability to perform demanding missions safely and effectively."

The wording matters for recruiters. Technical credentials open the door, but the stated selection criteria weight operational judgment, teamwork and communication — the soft-skill layer most employers claim to assess and few can measure at this selectivity level. NASA has not disclosed how it evaluates those attributes, only that it does.

What vetting stands between application and offer?

The screening gauntlet goes well beyond a standard background check. Successful applicants must clear:

• Drug tests
• A background security investigation
• Vision testing
• Medical and psychiatric examinations
• A water survival test
• Demonstrated willingness to work long stretches in hazardous and confined spaces

The terms of employment are equally specific. The role pays $164,395 annually, involves "irregular hours," and carries no remote-work option. Candidates who reach the final class receive two years of training before the role fully begins.

What can employers take from a 0.1% acceptance rate?

The last cycle's numbers — over 8,000 applications, 10 hires — make NASA one of the most selective employers on record. The agency has not said how many candidates it expects to select this time, nor whether the class size will grow alongside the expanded mission slate. What is clear is the cost of that selectivity in screening effort: every stage of vetting, from security investigation to survival testing, must be run at scale against a vast unqualified pool.

There is also a simpler recruiting lesson in the posting. NASA names the salary, names the demands, and names the timeline without embellishment. The agency expects to announce its new class in late 2027 — meaning applicants face a wait of roughly a year or more before knowing the outcome. Few employers could ask that patience of candidates; NASA's brand apparently can.

Whether this cycle attracts more than 8,000 applicants, and whether the class exceeds ten, will be the numbers to watch when the agency names its candidates in late 2027.