The grueling multi-year journey from applicant to orbital explorer
In short: Becoming an astronaut is a marathon of specialized endurance. From a pool of thousands, only a handful survive a rigorous progression of training phases designed to turn diverse professionals into elite operators capable of surviving the vacuum of space.
The path to orbit begins with extreme selectivity. In 2024 alone, NASA received more than 8,000 applications for its astronaut program. From this massive pool, only 10 individuals were selected as candidates. These recruits must then undergo approximately two years of intensive training before they even become eligible for a specific flight assignment.
Training is structured into three distinct phases. It starts with one year of basic training at the European Astronaut Centre, covering engineering fundamentals, science disciplines, and major space systems like the International Space Station and Soyuz spacecraft. This phase also builds core astronautic skills such as robotics, spacewalks (extravehicular activities), and rendezvous and docking procedures, alongside survival skills and Russian language proficiency.
The second stage is pre-assignment training, a variable-duration period where astronauts from NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA gain in-depth knowledge of station modules and payloads. This provides the expertise needed for almost any flight to the ISS. Finally, once assigned to a specific mission, astronauts enter increment training. This phase lasts about two years and focuses exclusively on the tasks required for their specific six-month stay on the International Space Station.
We see this progression in action with Expedition 35/36. At Star City's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, qualification drills were performed during early March by Alexander Misurkin, Chris Cassidy, and Pavel Vinogradov. This final preparation preceded their move to the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a scheduled liftoff on March 29.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Next Men Into Space Undergo Final Training
- Also: Training for space
- Also: Astronaut Selection Program - NASA
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