NASA introduced a new astronaut class on Monday at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, announcing the selection of 10 individuals from more than 8,000 applicants. The group, made up of six women and four men, marks the first time that more women have been chosen than men for astronaut training. This significant milestone reflects a broader effort to increase opportunities in space exploration. The chosen candidates include a geologist who worked on the Curiosity Mars rover and a SpaceX engineer who previously flew into orbit on a private mission that achieved the world’s first commercial spacewalk. Officials explained that the members of this 24th astronaut class are expected to support the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon by 2027, and possibly take part in future missions to Mars. NASA leaders highlighted the importance of sustaining national leadership in space, stressing that competition with other countries adds urgency to the mission.

The selected astronauts will undergo two years of rigorous training before being considered for flights. According to NASA’s leadership, the newcomers are expected to become an integral part of the agency’s future operations, which involve both lunar exploration and long-term planetary research. Flight operations experts described the group as formidable and illustrious, pointing to their backgrounds as military pilots, engineers, scientists, and doctors. The class also includes Anna Menon, the first NASA astronaut candidate to have already traveled to space, and Lauren Edgar, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist involved in Mars and Moon projects. Officials emphasized that this diverse class represents an epochal development in the history of astronaut selection. While the challenges of human spaceflight remain immense, the astronauts’ determination was said to galvanize colleagues, showing strong determination and courage that may inspire future generations.