NASA’s 10 new astronaut candidates were introduced Monday following a competitive selection process of more than 8,000 applicants from across the United States. The class now will complete nearly two years of training before becoming eligible for flight assignments supporting future science and exploration missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars.
Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy welcomed the all-American 2025 astronaut candidate class during a ceremony at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“I’m honored to welcome the next generation of American explorers to our agency! More than 8,000 people applied – scientists, pilots, engineers, dreamers from every corner of this nation.
The 10 men and women sitting here today embody the truth that in America, regardless of where you start, there is no limit to what a determined dreamer can achieve – even going to space,” said Duffy.
“Together, we’ll unlock the Golden Age of exploration.”
The agency’s 24th astronaut class reported for duty at NASA Johnson in mid-September and immediately began their training. Their curriculum includes instruction and skills development for complex operations aboard the International Space Station, Artemis missions to the Moon, and beyond.
Specifically, training includes robotics, land and water survival, geology, foreign language, space medicine and physiology, and more, while also conducting simulated spacewalks and flying high-performance jets.
After graduation, the 2025 class will join the agency’s active astronaut corps. Active astronauts are conducting science research aboard the space station while preparing for the transition to commercial space stations and the next great leaps in human exploration at the Moon and Mars.
The candidates’ operational expertise, scientific knowledge, and technical backgrounds are essential to advancing NASA’s deep space exploration goals and sustaining a long-term human presence beyond low Earth orbit.
The 2025 astronaut candidates are:
Ben Bailey, 38, chief warrant officer 3, U.S. Army, was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia.
He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia and is completing a master’s in systems engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
Bailey is a U.S. Naval Test Pilot School graduate with more than 2,000 flight hours in more than 30 different rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.
At the time of his selection, Bailey was responsible for the developmental testing of emerging technologies aboard Army rotary wing aircraft, specializing in the UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47F Chinook.
Lauren Edgar, 40, considers Sammamish, Washington, her hometown.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Earth sciences from Dartmouth College, and her master’s and doctorate in geology from the California Institute of Technology.
Edgar has served as the deputy principal investigator for the Artemis III Geology Team.
She also spent more than 17 years supporting Mars exploration rovers.
She was working at the U.S. Geological Survey at the time of her selection.
Adam Fuhrmann, 35, major, U.S. Air Force, is from Leesburg, Virginia.
He has accumulated more than 2,100 flight hours in 27 aircraft, including the F-16 and F-35.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and master’s degrees in flight test engineering and systems engineering from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and Purdue University, respectively.
He has deployed in support of Operations Freedom’s Sentinel and Resolute Support, logging 400 combat hours.
At the time of his selection, Fuhrmann served as the director of operations for an Air Force flight test unit.
Cameron Jones, 35, major, U.S. Air Force, is a native of Savanna, Illinois.
He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
He is also a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and the U.S. Air Force Weapons School.
He’s an experienced test pilot with more than 1,600 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft, including 150 combat hours, primarily in the F-22 Raptor.
At the time of his selection, Jones was an Air Force Academic Fellow at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Yuri Kubo, 40, is a native of Columbus, Indiana.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue University.
He spent 12 years at SpaceX, including roles as launch director for Falcon 9, director of avionics for the Starshield program, and director of Ground Segment.
Earlier in his career, Kubo was a co-op student at NASA Johnson supporting Orion, ISS, and the Space Shuttle Program.
At the time of his selection, he was the senior vice president of Engineering at Electric Hydrogen.
Rebecca Lawler, 38, is from Little Elm, Texas, and a former lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy.
She is a former Navy P-3 pilot and experimental test pilot with more than 2,800 flight hours in more than 45 aircraft.
Lawler holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the National Test Pilot School.
She also flew as a NOAA hurricane hunter and during NASA’s Operation IceBridge.
At the time of selection, she was a test pilot for United Airlines.
Anna Menon, 39, is from Houston and earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University in mathematics and Spanish.
She holds a master’s in biomedical engineering from Duke University.
Menon previously worked in NASA Mission Control supporting medical hardware/software aboard the ISS.
In 2024, she flew to space aboard SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn as a mission specialist and medical officer.
The mission set a female altitude record, included the first commercial spacewalk, and conducted about 40 research experiments.
At the time of her selection, Menon was a senior engineer at SpaceX.
Imelda Muller, 34, considers Copake Falls, New York, her hometown.
A former Navy lieutenant, she served as an undersea medical officer after training at the Naval Undersea Medical Institute.
Muller earned a bachelor’s in behavioral neuroscience from Northeastern University and a medical degree from the University of Vermont.
She has supported Navy diving training at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab.
At the time of her selection, Muller was completing a residency in anesthesia at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Erin Overcash, 34, lieutenant commander, U.S. Navy, is from Goshen, Kentucky.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s in bioastronautics from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
A U.S. Naval Test Pilot School graduate, Overcash is an experienced F/A-18E/F Super Hornet pilot with 1,300+ flight hours in 20 aircraft and 249 carrier arrested landings.
She was part of the Navy’s World Class Athlete Program and trained with the USA Rugby Women’s National Team.
At the time of selection, she was preparing for a squadron department head tour.
Katherine Spies, 43, is from San Diego.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Southern California and a master’s in design engineering from Harvard University.
A former Marine Corps AH-1 attack helicopter pilot and test pilot, she has more than 2,000 flight hours in over 30 aircraft.
She is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and has served as project officer and platform coordinator for multiple Marine Corps aircraft.
At the time of her selection, Spies was director of flight test engineering at Gulfstream Aerospace.
With the addition of these 10 individuals, NASA has now recruited 370 astronaut candidates since selecting the original Mercury Seven in 1959.
“Today, our mission propels us even further as we prepare for our next giant leap with NASA’s newest astronaut candidate class,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA Johnson.
“Representing America’s best and brightest, this astronaut candidate class will usher in the Golden Age of innovation and exploration as we push toward the Moon and Mars.”
The astronaut candidates will be available to speak with media virtually and in-person on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Media interested in this limited opportunity should contact the NASA Johnson Newsroom at:
281-483-5111
jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov
NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online.
Find photos and additional information about the new astronaut candidates at:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts
