Summary
NASA says its 10 astronaut candidates are approximately halfway through a nearly two-year training programme. Recent exercises included lunar geology fieldwork, aircraft flights, altitude-chamber runs and water-survival training.
NASA’s 2025 astronaut candidate class has reached approximately the halfway point of a nearly two-year training programme designed to prepare the 10 candidates for future missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon and, eventually, Mars.
The agency’s latest training update describes a summer of field geology, aircraft operations, altitude-chamber exercises and water-survival drills. The class was introduced publicly on Sept. 22, 2025, and is on track to graduate in 2027, when its members will join NASA’s active astronaut corps and await flight assignments.
Geology training for future lunar missions
Because some candidates could eventually be assigned to Artemis missions on the lunar surface, NASA has made geology a significant part of their preparation. The candidates completed classroom instruction at Johnson Space Center in Houston before conducting field training at New Mexico’s Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in May.
The exercises involved geological observation, rock sampling, navigation and teamwork. Several candidates later joined NASA astronauts, Artemis support teams and instructors for additional geology training in Iceland in July.
These activities are intended to build skills that can be transferred to lunar exploration, where astronauts will need to identify and document geological features, collect samples and work effectively in unfamiliar terrain. The training also connects scientific observation with the practical demands of operating as a crew away from Earth.
Aircraft and altitude-chamber exercises
The candidates also flew on NASA’s WB-57 aircraft and began training in the agency’s T-38 supersonic jets. NASA describes aircraft training as a way to develop piloting ability as well as confidence, coordination, adaptability and resilience in high-stakes environments.
The WB-57s are long-range, high-altitude aircraft that have supported research missions since the 1960s. The T-38 training adds experience with a different type of high-performance aircraft and forms part of the candidates’ broader flight preparation.
At Johnson’s altitude chambers, the candidates practised under simulated pressure levels ranging from sea-level conditions to near vacuum. Wearing flight suits and helmets, they familiarised themselves with conditions associated with high-altitude flight and spaceflight, while also rehearsing safety protocols and interventions.
Water survival and spacecraft operations
Water-survival exercises in Johnson’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory simulated the possibility of landing in a remote environment after a mission. Some sessions included simulated storms, raft operations and drills for being lifted from the water. NASA says the exercises also develop teamwork and decision-making skills.
The candidates are undertaking additional training in Russian language and cross-cultural operations. They are learning spacecraft systems used in human spaceflight missions, practising spacewalk procedures at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and working inside mock-ups of spacecraft. Emergency procedures, spacecraft maintenance and repairs are also part of the programme.
The class is expected to graduate in 2027. NASA says the graduates will then have the operational, scientific and technical preparation needed to support research aboard the International Space Station, lunar missions and longer-term efforts to establish a sustained human presence beyond low Earth orbit.