NASA has announced the selection of ten new astronaut candidates for its Class of 2025, a group notable for its gender balance—women outnumbering men—and the inclusion of an astronaut with prior commercial spaceflight experience, setting a new spaceflight record. The selection process was highly competitive, with over 8,000 applicants vying for the ten coveted positions. The acting NASA administrator emphasized the exceptional caliber of the chosen candidates, highlighting their potential to become among the first Americans to step foot on Mars.
Among the selected candidates is Lauren Edgar, a geologist from Sammamish, Washington, who boasts a distinguished career in space research. Edgar, who graduated from Skyline High School and holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in geology from Caltech, has made significant contributions to NASA’s missions. Her experience includes leading the USGS’ TARGET training program, providing support for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory and Mars Exploration Rover missions, and serving as deputy principal investigator on the Artemis 3 Geology Team.
Edgar expressed her excitement about joining the NASA family and collaborating with her fellow classmates. She shared a personal anecdote, revealing her fondness for performing handstands in diverse locations around the world, reflecting her adventurous spirit and love for the outdoors.
The Class of 2025 also includes a diverse range of accomplished individuals with extensive backgrounds in aviation, military service, and space technology. These include:
Ben Bailey, a U.S. Army chief warrant officer 3 with extensive flight experience in various aircraft.
Adam Fuhrmann, a U.S. Air Force major with significant flight hours, including combat experience in Afghanistan.
Cameron Jones, a U.S. Air Force major and test pilot with extensive flight hours and combat experience.
Yuri Kubo, a former SpaceX employee with a distinguished career in launch operations and avionics engineering.
Rebecca Lawler, a former U.S. Navy lieutenant commander and experimental test pilot who has flown as a hurricane hunter and participated in NASA’s Operation IceBridge.
Anna Menon, a mission specialist and medical officer on the Polaris Dawn mission, who set a new altitude record for female spacefliers during a SpaceX Dragon flight that included a commercial spacewalk.
Imelda Muller, a former U.S. Navy lieutenant and undersea medical officer with experience at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.
Erin Overcash, a U.S. Navy lieutenant commander, F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot and member of the Navy’s World Class Athlete Program.
Katherine Spies, a former Marine Corps AH-1 attack helicopter pilot and experimental test pilot with extensive flight experience.
The newly selected astronauts will undergo rigorous training in preparation for future missions, potentially including lunar missions under NASA’s Artemis program. The Artemis 2 mission, scheduled for launch next year, will send a crew around the moon, paving the way for the Artemis 3 mission—currently slated for mid-2027—which aims to land a crew on the lunar surface. While this timeline has faced some skepticism, and concerns have been raised about the possibility of China becoming the next nation to land on the moon, NASA remains committed to its ambitious goals.
NASA’s acting administrator reaffirmed the agency’s determination to lead the way in space exploration, emphasizing its commitment to returning to the moon, establishing a long-term presence, and ultimately venturing to Mars and beyond. He underscored NASA’s competitive spirit and resolve to maintain its leadership in the space race, asserting that the United States will be the first nation to return to the moon and establish a sustainable presence there.
With the selection of the Class of 2025, NASA continues its legacy of pioneering space exploration, recruiting a new generation of astronauts who embody the agency’s spirit of innovation, determination, and commitment to advancing humanity’s understanding of the cosmos. The selection of these highly skilled and accomplished individuals represents a significant step forward in NASA’s pursuit of ambitious space exploration goals.