The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced it is seeking candidates to take part in the Artemis lunar program and help pave the way for the first crewed missions to Mars, infohub.kz reports.
The new recruits will undergo special training to land on and carry out tasks directly on the lunar surface. The agency expects to involve them in building a permanent base on Earth's satellite.
Only U.S. citizens holding a master's degree in the exact, natural or technical sciences — including biology, computer science or engineering — are eligible to apply. Applications on the agency's website will be accepted for less than a month and will close on December 3, 2026, with the final list of future space explorers to be approved in late 2027.
In parallel, NASA is addressing the delivery of necessary equipment and cargo to the lunar surface. The agency has opened a competition for contracts under the second phase of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program — commercial services for delivering payloads to the Moon. Their total value could reach up to $10 billion over ten years.
Eight private aerospace companies have submitted bids, including SpaceX, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin Space. The tender winners will assemble and operate landers designed to deliver scientific equipment and heavy machinery. Boeing is not taking part in the competition because of problems with its Starliner spacecraft.