Publicly introduced on Sept. 22, 2025, at Johnson Space Center in Houston, the class has spent the summer on intensive, varied training tailored to missions in low Earth orbit, on the Moon, and beyond. Geology instruction has been a major focus, reflecting the expectation that some candidates will conduct surface science on Artemis missions. After classroom sessions at Johnson, the group travelled to the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico in May for fieldwork and returned to field geology training in Iceland in July, where they trained alongside NASA astronauts, Artemis mission support teams, geology instructors, and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
Flight and high-altitude preparedness were also central this season. Candidates logged time aboard NASA’s WB-57 long-range, high-altitude research aircraft and began flying the agency’s T-38 supersonic jets to build piloting confidence and adaptability. They have trained in Johnson’s altitude chambers, which can simulate pressures from sea level to near vacuum, and practiced safety protocols while wearing flight suits and helmets, including chamber runs documented on April 8, 2025.
Water survival exercises took place in Johnson’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. Those sessions recreate remote-landing scenarios and simulated storm conditions in the pool, and include team-based rescue and raft procedures designed to reinforce decision-making under stress. The program also includes space-relevant technical training, such as operating spacecraft systems, spacewalk practice in the NBL, work in vehicle mockups, and instruction in emergency procedures, maintenance, and repair.
Candidates are also completing intensive Russian language and cross-cultural classes to prepare for multinational missions. NASA says the class remains on track to graduate in 2027, at which point the new astronauts will join the active corps and wait for flight assignments. Whether assigned to research aboard the International Space Station or selected for lunar surface work that helps prepare for Mars, the graduates will enter service with a mix of scientific, operational, and technical training aligned to NASA’s long-term exploration goals.
