The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launches astronaut candidates again after two yearsopen recruitment. This recruitment is expected to end on December 3, 2026 Eastern Time, and is designed to fill the astronaut-scale gap of only about 32 people in active service. The official offer is a high annual salary of approximately US$164,000 (approximately NT$5.3 million), which is equivalent to more than NT$5.2 million, but the threshold covers multiple hard indicators such as a STEM master's degree and extreme flight hours. Looking back at the previous level, only 10 people were admitted out of more than 8,000 people competing, and the actual admission rate was only about 0.1%. The final selection is expected to be completed in the second half or the end of 2027 to fully prepare for the upcoming Artemis moon landing project.

Strict professional qualification threshold for astronauts: Hard skills screening based on advanced STEM education and flight hours

In addition to being a U.S. citizen, applicants must have a master's degree in a STEM field, two consecutive years of relevant doctoral studies, or a professional medical degree. In terms of job qualifications, applicants must have at least 3 years of practical work experience in science and engineering, or have accumulated 750 hours of pilot-in-command flight hours on high-performance jet aircraft. Compared with the early emphasis on the military test pilot system, NASA has increased the review weight of data calculation, algorithm and materials engineering background in recent years to ensure that candidates have the ability to perform real-time debugging and scientific research verification in the extreme environment of deep space.

Online application and multi-level evaluation: Federal USAJOBS portal and strict review mechanism

This recruitment is conducted online through the U.S. federal job search platform USAJOBS. Applicants must complete the submission before the deadline on the evening of December 3, Eastern Time. In addition to uploading complete STEM academic transcripts, a professional resume with no page limit, and selecting a designated professional field (such as engineering, biomedicine, or flight testing) for review, applicants must also submit a special qualifications form with flight experience. After the initial review is sent out, candidates must also complete the USA Hire online evaluation system within the deadline, covering work style, situational response and time-limited professional writing tests. They will be filtered through layers before entering subsequent interviews.

Artemis Moon Landing Strategic Fault: Cross-field Talent Shortage Under the Integration of Commercial Aerospace

There are only about 32 active astronauts in NASA. As the Artemis plan to return to the moon gradually advances, and system integration with private commercial rocket manufacturers deepens, cross-system operations and cross-domain R&D talents have become strategic core assets. Even if this new batch of new blood successfully passes the two-year test and obtains astronaut qualifications, it will still take several years of preparation before they are actually scheduled for deep space or low-Earth orbit launch missions. The reserve of deep space talent echelons has become a top priority.

this article NASA restarts astronaut recruitment to prepare for Artemis moon landing first appeared in Chain News ABMedia。