NASA Announces 10 Trailblazing Astronauts for Future Lunar and Martian Missions
NASA has unveiled a group of 10 exceptional astronaut candidates, handpicked from a pool of over 8,000 applicants. This marks a historic moment as it’s the first astronaut class featuring more women than men. The diverse team comprises of test pilots, engineers, a geologist, and notably, Anna Menon, who has already made her mark in space on SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission. This makes her the first individual to join NASA’s astronaut corps with prior orbital flight experience.
The candidates are set to undergo two years of rigorous training at the Johnson Space Center. Upon completion, they will be eligible for a variety of missions, including:
- Trips to the International Space Station
- Lunar surface missions under the Artemis program
- Potential Mars expeditions
Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy emphasized the historic nature of the selection, stating, “one of these 10 could actually be one of the first Americans to put their boots on the Mars surface.”
This 24th astronaut class in NASA’s history will join the ranks of 41 active U.S. astronauts currently serving. The selection comes at a pivotal time as NASA gears up for the Artemis II crewed mission around the Moon, scheduled for no later than April 2026.