NASA’s newest astronaut class has become the agency’s first in which women outnumber men. Selected from more than 8,000 applicants, the six women and four men are now just beyond the midpoint of their two-year training program.
Candidates are learning to conduct spacewalks, operate the space station, fly jet aircraft, and control a robotic arm. After qualifying, they could be assigned to missions in low Earth orbit or to the Moon, with some potentially contributing to NASA’s longer-term ambitions for Mars.
Although candidates receive a government salary throughout training, NASA’s published figure for qualified astronauts was approximately $152,000 annually as of 2024. The role carries neither overtime compensation nor hazard pay. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station receive their regular salaries based on a 40-hour workweek.
As federal employees on official travel, astronauts have their transportation, accommodation, and meals provided. During the extended mission of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, whose planned eight-day trip lasted 286 days following problems with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, they received an allowance for incidental expenses of $5 per day, amounting to about $1,430 each.
Entry into the profession is highly competitive, with an acceptance rate of approximately 0.125% for the new class. Applicants must be US citizens and meet educational, professional, and medical requirements. Neither military service nor flying experience is mandatory, and NASA sets no age limit.
