NASA Introduces 10 New Astronauts for 2025

For decades, NASA has been pick­ing its astronaut can­did­ate class from thou­sands of Ameri­cans with bril­liant resumes, but the agency’s 2025 selec­tion marks more than just another milestone. It signals the tran­si­tion into a new era of exploration that reaches beyond Earth’s lower orbit, toward the Moon and Mars.

In mid-September, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, ten newly selected candidates reported for duty. They were chosen from more than 8,000 applicants, and will spend nearly two years in rigorous training before they become eligible for flight missions.

Why this class matters?

NASA says these candidates are being groomed not only for work aboard the International Space Station, but for the Artemis missions, sustained lunar presence, and eventual voyages to Mars. Their curriculum includes robotics, geology, space medicine, foreign languages, high-speed aircraft piloting, simulated spacewalks, and both land and water survival training. NASA has been investing in new technologies to monitor astronaut well-being, including innovative approaches such as a miniature X-ray device designed to protect astronaut health.

Because of shifts in strategy—commercial space stations, scientific research, and long-duration deep-space missions, NASA is looking for people who combine more than physical stamina or flight hours. The 2025 class brings engineers, geologists, medical doctors, test pilots, and scientists with field and often combat experience. Their expertise will be critical in advancing NASA’s goals of pushing human presence farther into space.

Who Are NASA’s New Astronauts in 2025?

• Ben Bailey, 38 : A U.S. Army chief warrant officer from Charlottesville, Virginia, Bailey holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and is completing a master’s in systems engineering. With over 2,000 flight hours in both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, he specialized in testing emerging technologies on military helicopters such as the Black Hawk and Chinook.
• Lauren Edgar, 40 : Raised in Sammamish, Washington, Edgar is a geologist trained at Dartmouth and Caltech. As deputy principal investigator for NASA’s Artemis III Geology Team, she shaped objectives for lunar science and is experienced in Mars rover missions.
• Adam Fuhrmann, 35 : A U.S. Air Force major hailing from Leesburg, Virginia. With a degree in aerospace engineering from MIT and advanced training at the Test Pilot School, Fuhrmann has logged over 2,100 flight hours (including combat) and held leadership roles in flight test operations.
• Cameron Jones, 35 : From Savanna, Illinois, a test pilot and engineer with both combat and academic credentials. Jones brings experience in diverse aircraft, including time at the F-22 Raptor, and work at DARPA.
• Yuri Kubo, 40 : An electrical engineer by training (Purdue University) who worked across SpaceX programs as a launch director and avionics lead. Before selection, he was senior vice president of Engineering at Electric Hydrogen.
• Rebecca Lawler, 38 : A former Navy P-3 pilot and test pilot with more than 2,800 flight hours across naval, scientific, and commercial missions. She’s also flown hurricane chasing missions, Arctic/Antarctic science flights, and logging test pilot experience that spans dozens of airframes.
• Anna Menon, 39 : A Houston native with a double major in mathematics and Spanish; she holds graduate credentials in biomedical engineering. Menon has both mission control experience at NASA and spaceflight experience: she flew aboard SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn in 2024, contributing to spacewalks, experiments, and altitude records.
• Imelda Muller, 34 : Raised in upstate New York, a behavioral neuroscientist and medical doctor who served in the Navy’s undersea medicine community; she brings anesthesiology and diving operational experience to the class.
• Erin Overcash, 34 : Navy test pilot and bioastronautics specialist, former F/A-18E/F pilot. Overcash also competed at high levels of sport and shares both scientific and operational expertise.
• Katherine Spies, 43 : A chemical engineer by training, veteran Marine Corps helicopter pilot, and test pilot. Before this selection, she oversaw flight test engineering at Gulfstream Aerospace.

Once they complete their training, these 10 will join NASA’s active astronaut corps. Their missions will include conducting science aboard the ISS, preparing for commercial space station operations, and playing key roles in Artemis lunar landings and deeper space exploration.

As NASA director Vanessa Wyche put it, this group "represents America’s best and brightest" and will help usher in what she calls a Golden Age of innovation and exploration.

For Americans, the 2025 class reinforces a message central to NASA’s mission - no matter where you start, with commitment and aptitude, it's possible to reach and even leave Earth.